Russia: Information on the Saami, including their treatment
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS18029.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Information on the Saami, including their treatment, 1 August 1994, RUS18029.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abfd84.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A representative of the Research Centre for Human Rights and a researcher at the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology, both in Moscow, are unaware of reports of mistreatment of the Saami in Russia (10 Aug. 1994).
According to the Minority Rights Group, an Association of Kola Saami was established in 1989 by the Saami people to promote the social and economic development of the ethnic minority, to preserve its traditions, and to study and develop its cultural and spiritual heritage (Aug. 1992, 28).
For general information on the Saami, please consult the attached documents.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology, Moscow. 10 August 1994. Telephone interview with researcher.
Minority Rights Group. August 1992. Native Peoples of the Russian Far North. London: Minority Rights Group.
Research Centre for Human Rights, Moscow. 10 August 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Attachments
Caratini, Roger. 1990. Dictionnaire des nationalités et des minorités en U.R.S.S.. Paris: Librairie Larousse, p. 125.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1992. Edited by Barbara F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics, p. 481.
Inter Press Service. 13 August 1990. "Environment: Soviet Indigenous Peoples Rap Proposed Nuclear Test." (NEXIS)
Minority Rights Group. August 1992. Native Peoples of the Russian Far North. London: Minority Rights Group, pp. 8, 28-29.
Reuters. 21 December 1991. BC Cycle. Nigel Stephenson. "Nordic Sami People Send Food to Soviet Cousins." (NEXIS)
The Vancouver Sun. 24 February 1994. John Tollefsrud. "Sami Seek to Preserve Culture in Midst of Modern Societal Pressures." (NEXIS)
World Directory of Minorities. 1990. Edited by Minority Rights Group. Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK, pp. 96-98.
