In the northernmost counties, there are around ten planned mining projects that have been ongoing processes with authorities and courts in the past year. These include Gállok in Jokkmokk municipality, Njunisvárri in Kiruna municipality and Kaunisvaara in Pajala municipality.
– I have spoken to some Sami villages in Norrbotten and they testify that the encroachments are increasing every year. They fear that it will increase even more with the industrial and climate changes, says Sameradion’s commentator and reporter Jörgen Heikki.
In the process surrounding the planned mine for Gállok, the verdict is expected to come in the new year, first the government must submit an opinion. On September 21, the negotiations regarding the mine in Gállok were concluded in the Supreme Administrative Court.
– There has been a concern about how it will turn out, but I am also hopeful that we will be able to stop the mine, said the reindeer herder Siri Länta from Jåhkågasska tjiellde, after the negotiations to SVT Sápmi.
– There have been so many mining projects that it becomes difficult for us journalists to prioritize among them, says Jörgen Heikki, Sami Radio in the Sami Yearbook, which summarizes the Sami news year.
More from the 2023 news year i Sami Yearbook on SVT Play.