🇸🇪 Truth Commission for the Sami People calls for immediate action on Indigenous rights

September 30, 2026

The Truth Commission for the Sami People has submitted its final report, concluding that policies pursued by the state have led to serious consequences for the Sami indigenous people. The government is urged to take measures to compensate the Sámi people and create equality and redress for them.

Historical control and contemporary impact

For a long time, the state and the church strictly controlled who was considered Sámi and the living conditions of the Sámi. They determined where and how Sami could live, the type of schooling for children, how they could practice their culture, religion, and traditional livelihoods, and whether they were allowed to speak their language. The state’s control and guardianship categorized the Sámi and limited their self-determination, leading to division and loss of rights. Many Sami completely lost their land rights, and others had their rights severely curtailed.

Through resistance and hard struggle, the Sami nonetheless managed to preserve parts of their culture, but even today their rights are not respected. Discrimination against Sami, racism, hatred, and threats must cease.

International criticism and land rights

The UN and the Council of Europe criticize Sweden for not respecting the right to influence and the right to culture connected to the lands. The constitutional protection of property rights for reindeer herding rights is not being implemented in the legal application of authorities. Sámi traditional knowledge connected to the lands is being lost. For the indigenous people, the right to traditional lands is not about “privileges,” as is sometimes claimed in the debate, but about rights they have always had and that the state has recognized and historically respected.

The connection to the lands is a prerequisite for the indigenous people’s existence. They must therefore be able to continue to use the traditional Sami lands and participate in the management of state land within such areas. It must be ensured that state-owned companies conduct their operations with full respect for the human rights of the Sámi as an indigenous people.

Recommendations and next steps

The Truth Commission has submitted 71 calls to the government, authorities, state-owned companies, museums, and the Church of Sweden, along with concrete proposals that can be realized in the near future. The purpose of these is for the Swedish state to acknowledge and take responsibility, compensate for the consequences of past policies, and find a way forward based on equality and respect for the human rights of the Sami people.

“Sami people should not have to live in vulnerability, with threats or hatred, they must be granted their rights to language, culture and the right to use their lands. The Government must initiate a dialogue with the Sami Parliament and Sami civil society to join forces for redress and reconciliation,” said Lena Nyberg, chair of the Truth Commission.

Nyberg called for the establishment of an independent mechanism to monitor compliance with the recommendations, potentially in the form of an independent Indigenous peoples policy council with a clear mandate.

Contact

Kaisa Syrjänen Schaal
Principal Secretary
+46 76 763 7705

Malin A Junkka
Secretary/Communications
+46 76 136 7067

Originally published on September 30, 2026 by the Truth Commission for the Sami People.