GENEVA: Two independent UN human rights experts called Thursday on Sweden’s government not to issue a license to industrial backers of a planned iron-ore mine that environmentalists say would generate large amounts of toxic waste and other pollution.
The proposed project would involve British company Beowulf Mining and their Swedish subsidiary Jokkmokk Iron Mines AB. Teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who is Swedish, joined a protest against the planned mine over the weekend.
The experts say plans for the mine in the Gallok region have gone forward without obtaining the “free, prior and informed consent” of the indigenous Sami people, whose lives and livelihoods could face risks from the project. They said migration of reindeer, who are herded by the Sami, could be endangered.
“There has been insufficient assessment and recognition of the environmental damage the mine will cause,” they said in a statement, pointing to a Swedish law passed on Jan. 27 – but not yet in force — that will require authorities to consult with the Sami before taking actions that could affect them.
Thursday’s call came from José Francisco Cali Tzay, a special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, and David Boyd, special rapporteur on human rights and the environment. Special rapporteurs work on a voluntary basis under a mandate from the UN-backed Human Rights Council, and do not represent the United Nations.
The Sami people are the indigenous people of Sampi, the region historically known as Lapland, and their lifestyle in under threat by the mining and forestry industry that encroach on grazing land.
UN experts urge Sweden to stop planned iron-ore mine project
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UN experts urge Sweden to stop planned iron-ore mine project
- The experts say plans for the mine in the Gallok region have gone forward without obtaining the “free, prior and informed consent” of the indigenous Sami people, whose lives and livelihoods could face risks from the project
Russian drone attack forces power cuts in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih, military says
- Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid
KYIV: Russian drones struck infrastructure in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday, forcing emergency power blackouts for more than 45,000 customers and disrupting heat supplies, military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul said.
“Please fill up on water and charge your devices, if you have the chance. It’s going to be difficult,” Vilkul said on the Telegram messaging app.
Water utility pumping stations switched to generators and water remained in the system, but there could be pressure problems.
The full scale of the attack was not immediately known. There was no comment from Russia about the strike.
Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power plants, substations and transmission lines with missiles and drones, seeking to knock out electricity and heating and hinder industry during the nearly four-year war.
Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid.
Kryvyi Rih, a steel-and-mining hub in the Dnipropetrovsk region and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, has been hit repeatedly, with strikes killing civilians and damaging homes and industry.
The city sits close enough to southern front lines to be within strike range, while its factories, logistics links and workforce make it economically important and a key rear-area center supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
