High North News

Sami village wins in court - can stop plans in northern Sweden

Linn Ophaug
indigenous rights indigenous peoples indigenous people sami culture sami

The Sami town of Gabna in northern Sweden has won a court case against the municipality of Kiruna over the establishment of a new Biltema department store, SVT reports.

The court concludes that the municipality has not sufficiently considered how the planned retail area affects national interests related to reindeer herding.

The ruling means that the municipality must either redo parts of the planning work or appeal to a higher court. The outcome could delay or change the establishment.

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