Sweden should apologise for injustices against Sami people, commission says

STOCKHOLM, Sept 30 (Reuters) – The Swedish government should apologise to the indigenous Sami people for past injustices and Sami interests should be given stronger consideration against mining and wind power projects, a government-appointed commission said on Wednesday. 

An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Sami live in the northern lands of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia, where reindeer herding over vast areas has been the cornerstone of their culture and livelihood.

The government-appointed Truth Commission said that the Swedish state had unilaterally taken ownership of large parts of Sami land, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

“The indigenous Sami people today face major challenges in preserving and developing their culture as a direct consequence of the Swedish state’s past and present policies,” the Truth Commission wrote in the report published on the government webpage.

The commission’s findings add Sweden to a list of Nordic countries confronting their treatment of the Sami. Norway, which is home to around 50,000 Sami people, officially apologised in 2024, and a Finnish commission called for redress in 2025.

The report said Sami communities had been forcibly displaced as far back as the 17th century. The commission urged the government to “acknowledge the historical wrongs, abuses, and violations … and the harm this has caused the Sami people”. 

The Swedish parliament recognised the Sami as an indigenous people in 1977, but relations with the state have often been contentious. In recent years, they have clashed with authorities over mining and wind power projects the Sami feel impact their reindeer herding.

The commission said the government should strengthen the land use rights status for reindeer herding. The Sami reindeer herding areas cover around a third of Sweden, bigger than the total area of England. 

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander, Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria)

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