The Reindeer Mark Committee had the task of reviewing the Reindeer Husbandry Act, and among other things, proposing new legislation on who should decide on small game hunting and fishing in reindeer herding areas in the mountains. But last week, the government announced that the inquiry would be shut down. The motivation was that the inquiry's partial report had received criticism and that "a reboot is needed".
According to the partial report, much suggests that other Sami villages have the right to decide on hunting and fishing, for the same reasons that Girjas Sami village was granted that right in the Supreme Court.
The SSR is sharply critical of the government's invitation to consultation with Sami representatives when the decision has already been made in practice. "The SSR therefore believes that the consultation request has been sent out far too late and questions what exactly the consultation is supposed to be about," the organization writes.
The SSR also writes that it is "extremely problematic" that the inquiry is being shut down before it has completed its work.
Earlier in the week, the committee's chairman, Justice Councilor Eric M Runesson, also criticized the decision.
