Льыоравэтльан - Protection of the Indigenous Rights in Tuhard

On 29 February – 2 March in Tuhard village of Karaul settlement (Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets Autonomous District) director of Informational Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsk Krai was helding seminars for villagers – representatives of Taimyr small indigenous people – Nenets. The seminars were held in a club in the form of the meetings where they discussed legal possibilities of indigenous problems solving by example of concrete cases. The villagers were presented bases of the legal information on protection of their rights.
It should be noted that it is reindeer breeders of Karaul in Tuhard tundra who have the majority of domestic reindeer in Taimyr. And exactly these territories are being commercially developed most actively. An unsettled relation with industrial mining plants is the primary problem of indigenous people in Tuhard tundra. During the meetings the villagers told about environmental pollution, worsening of conditions for reindeer breeding because of gas pipelines and many other violations of indigenous rights. Besides present deposits they are planning to develop new ones and now are carrying out exploration work. They will begin to build a new gas pipeline soon and it will run across nomadic routs of many reindeer breeders. Solving of these problems on legal foundation is as usually complicated by unsettled land problems and high interest of industrial plants in these territories. It will take a durable legal work to protect the rights of Tuhard indigenous people. And this in turn is possible only when the indigenous people take the initiative and take concrete measures on their rights protection themselves. That is why one of the most important aims of the seminars is to find out indigenous activists who could fight for their nation's rights. The Informational Center has invited these people to the next training course "Education in the Field of Human Rights and Rights of Indigenous Peoples" that will take place in Dudinka in April – May 2008.
The indigenous people of Tuhard were also told of Information and Education Network of Indigenous Peoples "L'auravetl'an" and Informational Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsk Krai activities.
Krasnoyarsk Center is grateful to Department of Protection of Environment and Traditional Lifestyle of Taimyr Small Indigenous peoples under the Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets Autonomous District Administration
and to Tuhard Administration for their help in organization and holding of the seminar.

Yelena Nechushkina, Director of Informational Legal Center of Indigenous Peoples of Krasnoyarsky Kray