The truth commission for the Sami people presents report on state abuses

For five years, the state investigation, the Truth Commission for the Sami People, has collected around 300 testimonies from the Sami - and reviewed decisions that the state and the church have made. The report tells about abuses such as racial biological studies, forced displacements, loss of language and land.

- Many have had to muster the strength to tell what they or their ancestors have been exposed to. The strongest are the stories about how the authorities took Sami children from families and put them in boarding schools, workhouses or nomadic schools, says Lena Nyberg.

The commission states that Sweden neither follows its own legislation nor the international declarations on indigenous rights.

"Threats and hatred against Sami continue to this day"

The report requires, among other things, that school students be taught more about the Sami people's part of Swedish history. In addition, the commission believes that the state should apologize.

- It is extremely important that the state recognizes the abuses that have occurred historically, says Lena Nyberg.

She also points out that many Sámi are subjected to threats and hatred.

- It is definitely going on today. Children with a Sami background are bullied at school. We must get better cooperation between the majority population and the Sami people.

The Commission also believes that the Police Authority is not sufficiently knowledgeable when it comes to the situation and rights of the Sami.

Sharp criticism for clear-cutting

Overall criticism is directed at Swedish society, which, according to the commission, has been bad at handling conflicts between, for example, reindeer husbandry and other interests, such as forestry, wind power and mines.

The Norwegian Forestry Agency receives very sharp criticism. The authority has not taken into account the Sami's need for reindeer grazing, but has, for example, approved the clearing of areas where the important reindeer lichen has problems recovering, according to the report.

The Commission claims that land rights for reindeer grazing are a usufructuary right that can be equated with ownership.

- It can't just be the Sami side that has to back down. A lot of reindeer grazing land has already disappeared, says Lena Nyberg.