Saami action for human rights

Saarivuoma Saami Village: http://www.saarivuoma.se/

Norway is violating International Law in their conduct against the Saami People in Sweden – Nobody is taking any action!

Demonstration/protest in Stockholm November 23, 2007 against the judicial assaults on the Saami People. Norwegian arrogance and superiority, and swedish passiveness work together when Norway runs over the swedish Saamis on their traditional summer reindeer- grazing areas. The norwegian state has during the last years, been allowed to terrorize the swedish Sami People in a multitude of different ways, when they have been on their reindeers summer-grazing areas in Norway.The swedish authorities has not lifted a finger, when the norwegian state has torn down reindeer-nouns, unlawfully driven away large herds of reindeers and continually expressed repeated threats of heavy fines for Saami villages situated on the swedish side of the nationstate border. Now the Saami villages react against the passiveness of the swedish government in this matter, knowing how quick both Norway and Sweden usually reacts, when other countries violates human rights and international laws.This is the reason why Saarivuoma Saami village, along with other Saami villages and Saami organisations, now has been forced to take this drastic measure, to make the world listen. - This is totally unreal. We cannot live with a state that terrorizes and hunt us, inspite of that we are on our own lands that we have lived on and cultivated in thousands of years – long before there was a norwegian state, says the Chairman of Saarivuoma Saami village mr Per-Anders Nutti. - We have to draw attention to this matter. We cannot fight against a hostile state, on our own. This is why we are going to Stockholm now, to show our intentions and hand over protestletters to both the swedish Foreign Ministry and the Norwegian Embassy. The today, still valid Border treaty between Norway and Sweden, the so called Lappkodicills of 1751, confirms the strong rights that swedish reindeerhusbandry hold in Norway.The Lappcodicills, were earlier regulated with the Reindeergrazing convention, between the countries.The latest convention went out of effect in 2005 and there has not yet been any agreement made, on a new convention. Norway has since then, singlehandedly decided to regulate the Saami Peoples customary rights lands, with their own so called convention law. This law is created in violation of human rights and international law, beacuse it does not follow the Lappkodicills which presupposes and agreement between the two states. The Swedish Government has admittedly declared that the new norwegian law is in violation of the Lappkodicills, and therefore violates international law. But Sweden still has not taken any action in this matter, which is very strange, since both Sweden and Norway are staunch defenders of human rights and international law, when other contries violates them, and often react very fast on such violations. - Sweden usually reacts very fast to defend human rights and international law, on the international arena. It is now time, to defend your own Indigenous Peoples at home, aswell, says Mr Nutti. For more information contact: Per Anders Nutti, Chairman of Saarivuoma Saamivillage. Cellphone: 0046 – (0)70-213 58 41 Henrik Johannes Blind, Saarivuoma saamivillage and acting traditional Saami security officer according to the Lappkodicill regulations. Cellphone: 0046- (0)73-089 86 83 Olov J Sikku, responsible for presscontactsolov.sikku@same.net0046-(0)70-171 80 34 FACTS: THE LAPPKODOCILLS OF 1751 The Lappkodicills of 1751 is the still today valid Border Treaty between Norway and Sweden. This treaty confirms the strong rights that the swedish reindeer husbandry has in Norway.The Lappkodicills has the status of law, both in Sweden and Norway, and is in its current form not possible to dismiss.The Lappkodicills has in more detailed form been regulated by the Reindeer grazing convention, that was negotiated between the two states.Since 2005 there are no Reindeer grazing convention in effect, which means that the Lappkodicills regulations alone are in effect. 1972 YEARS REINDEERGRAZING CONVENTION 1972 years Reindeergrazing Convention resulted in that the swedish Saamis were pushed away and restrained from use of 70% of their customary rights lands in Norway, during a timeperiod of 33 years. Saarivuoma Saami village were shut out from the Altevann area. This has resulted in the loss of millions of swedish crowns, that the Saami people has had to pay in fines and additional surveillance costs, beacuse of these unnatural borders that have been imposed on them. The Reindeergrazing Convention of 1972 was established against the will of the Saami National Association and a number of Saami Villages clearly expressed rejection.No compensation has been payed out to the swedish Reindeerhusbandry for their loss of these lands. NORWEGIAN CONVENTION LAW – is in violation of international law and human rights Norway decided on their own, their new so called “Convention law” of 2005 to regulate the lands included in the Lappkodicills. The former Minister of foreign affairs, Mrs Laila Freiwalds, in May 2005, that the attitude of the swedish government towards Norways newly founded convention law, was that it violates the Lappkodicills and therefore violates international law and human rights. Also the current Swedish Government agrees to this same attitude, but has up to this date remained passive. None of the highest Saami political entities has acted, either. THE ALTEVANN CASE of 1968 Saarivuoma and Talma Saami villages were awarded an on private rights founded ,reindeerhusbandry right in the Altevann area in the region ( fylke) of Troms in Norway, in a fixed ruling of Norways Highest Court, in 1968 – the so called Altevann case ( April 20 1968 L. Nr 42 nr 8/1966 )The case concerned the regulation of water in the Lake of Altevann. http://www.saarivuoma.se/