indigenous

Norwegian authorities criminally charged 20 Indigenous Saami activists and supporters on Friday for blocking access to multiple government buildings in protest over the continued operation of wind turbines in the Fosen region. The operation occupies the same land as traditional reindeer herding grounds, despite a 2021 Norwegian Supreme Court ruling calling for an end to the turbines’ operation, according to a statement from the Saami activists’ attorneys.

The statement, released by attorneys Olaf Halvorsen Rønning and Anne Marie Gulichsen with Elden Advokatfirma who are representing the activists, alleges that the activists were charged by the public prosecutor in Oslo, Norway, though the statement does not specify the nature of the charges. Local news outlet VG alleged that the group is charged with not paying fines related to the protests. Rønning and Gulichsen criticized the actions of the public prosecutor, stating:

Punishing the Sami youth and their supporters will be yet another violation of their human rights – violation of their freedom of speech and demonstration. National minorities have particularly strong protection against protests directly directed at those responsible in the Government for human rights violations the group is exposed to.

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