Loga ášši sámegillii. 18 Fosen shareholders had to appear in the Oslo district court in March. They refused to pay the fines of between NOK 3,000 and 5,000 that they received after the occupation of the Ministry of Oil and Energy, as well as the blockade of the Ministry of Finance and Keysers gate 6 in February and March 2023. 13 of the activists must again stand trial. This time in the Borgarting Court of Appeal after the prosecution appealed the case. When the judge asks the activists about their guilt, they all answer no, no and no, news’s reporter tells the court. – Completely honest – We will of course be completely honest about why we chose to demonstrate as we did. This is what Fosen shareholder Ida Helene Benonisen (24) says to news. Before the trial started today, she pointed out that they have nothing to hide. SHAREHOLDER; Ida Helen Benoninsen was excited this morning when the appeal case against the Fosen shareholder started. Photo: Ingrid Elise Trosten / news Altogether they stayed in and around the government buildings for four days before the police removed the protesters. Acquitted in the district court In April, they were acquitted in the district court. The court considered that the order to end the demonstration, the treatment of the demonstrators and the punitive action as a whole violated the defendant’s right to participate in peaceful demonstrations according to section 101 of the Constitution and Article 11 of the ECHR. The prosecution appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal. On 11 October 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the wind turbines at Fosen violate Sami rights. The case received international attention when activists took to the streets. – I hope that these judges also agree that the actions were important for the apology and recognition of the human rights violation to come when it did, says Benonisen. Disappointed In the morning hours today, artist and Fosen activist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen had to provide her personal information again. This time in the Borgarting Court of Appeal. ELLA MARIE: Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen has for a long time fronted the Fosen actions. Here she stands with the others in the Borgarting Court of Appeal. Photo: Ingrid Elise Trosten / news – We are disappointed that we have to spend more of our time on this legal process, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen told news in August. Then came the news that they had to appear in the Court of Appeal. Then Isaksen said that they would like to spend their time working on what they are passionate about: Stopping encroachments on reindeer grazing areas. But even though the disappointment was great, Isaksen said that they would go into the courtroom with straight backs. – We are prepared for a new round, and we will go straight into the Court of Appeal, she said in August. A protester films while another is carried away from the entrance to the Ministry of Culture and Equality during the Fosen action in Oslo. Photo: Bethel Britto / news Thinks a fine should come In April, it became known that the prosecution appealed the district court’s verdict. They disagreed with the result and the reasons for the acquittal. – We are of the opinion that the state’s overall intervention – the order, the submission and punishment in the form of a fine – is not disproportionate based on the guidance that appears from the Supreme Court’s practice. This is what prosecutor and acting state attorney Stian F. Hermansen wrote in an e-mail to news in April. – We note that the judgment was handed down during a dissent when it comes to the question of whether the defendants should receive some form of criminal punishment, adds Hermansen. The shareholders have been prosecuted after they did not accept the fines they received for occupying the lobby of the Ministry of Oil and Energy and the entrance to the Ministry of Finance. Photo: Emrah Senel / news In the district court, the professional judge believed that the activists should receive some form of punishment, while the two fellow judges believed that they should not be punished. – The dissent partly touches on the same topics that justify the prosecution’s verdict, even though we the prosecution are of the opinion that the punitive response should come in the form of a fine, Hermansen wrote in April. Conflict between reindeer herding and wind turbines In 2010, Norway’s Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) gave permission for two large wind power developments at the Fosen, Storheia and Roan wind power plants. These are the Fosen turbines at Storheia. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news In 2021, the Supreme Court handed down the Fosen judgment, where it was established that the reindeer herders on Fosen were exposed to a human rights violation due to the wind power developments. The government has had to endure strong criticism that there has been an ongoing violation of human rights in Norway over several years. The actions started 500 days after the judgment from the Supreme Court, which had not been followed up. – For me personally, it will be important to show that land encroachment on reindeer grazing is a continuation of the Norwegianization, says shareholder Ida Helene Benonisen (24). Published 12/12/2024, at 09.40 Updated 12.12.2024, at 09.59
ttn-69
The Fosen activists refused to accept fines: Now the appeal case starts in the Borgarting Court of Appeal – news Sápmi
