Human and Fundamental Rights of the Sámi

• Published in: The Yearbook of Polar Law Online
• Main Author: Niemivuo, Matti
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Brill 2015
• Subjects: Norway; Sámi; Yearbook of Polar Law
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2211-6427_012; https://brill.com/view/journals/yplo/7/1/article-p290_12.xml; https://data.brill.com/files/journals/22116427_007_01_s012_text.pdf

I will begin this article by saying a few words about the role of human and fundamental rights in Finland, one of the countries where the Sámi live. Following this general review, I will deal with the guarantees that International Human Rights Law and the Constitutions of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia provide for the Sámi as an indigenous people. After that I will then go on to examine how fundamental rights of the Sámi have been implemented in Finland. And finally, I will ask whether human and fundamental rights can be invoked in order to improve the position of the Sámi in an increasingly globalised world.