5
votes
United Nations committee finds Finland violated an international convention on racial discrimination when it comes to the political rights of Sámi
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- Published
- Jun 15 2022
I realize that I'm at risk of putting my foot in my mouth, but...
Identifying dozens of individuals with presumably some ethnic heritage who are not identified as part of the ethnic group by some majority of the ethnic group has to be among the most mild violations of an international convention on racial discrimination and political rights.
It's certainly much more mild than most forms of ethnic cleansing. Who gets to choose, though? If the Finnish government is the last word on who is Sámi, they can at will dilute Sámi influence within their own democratically controlled Sámi Parliament. If Sámi influence is diluted within the representative body who can speak for them, it degrades their ability to advocate for themselves.
This is all very milquetoast as compared to rape, murder, or forced deportation, to be sure. However, leaving it unchecked is opening the door to a Sámi parliament that no longer advocates for the people currently called Sámi. It will instead advocate for the people who the Finnish government says are Sámi, based upon criteria which are not determined by the Sámi themselves.