The Sami and their reindeer farms came under the protection of the Supreme Court, which ruled that two green energy plants built in 2020 in the west of the country are damaging reindeer pastures.
As explained by the Sami lawyers, it concerns 150 wind turbines, which were installed on the Fosen Peninsula. The court accepted the plaintiff's arguments and found that Fosen Vind had installed the turbines illegally. Licenses issued by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy for the construction and operation of turbines have been invalidated.
The court referred to article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which deals with the preservation of ethnic minorities. The decision noted that reindeer husbandry is traditional for the Sami and is protected as a form of culture.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was adopted by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in December 1966.
Photo: from open sources