Key facts
- A Swedish government commission recommended an apology to the indigenous Sami people for past injustices.
- The commission urged stronger consideration for Sami interests against mining and wind power projects.
- The Swedish state took ownership of large parts of Sami land, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Sami communities faced forced displacement as early as the 17th century.
- The report called for acknowledgment of historical wrongs and the harm caused to the Sami people.
- Sami reindeer herding areas cover about a third of Sweden.
A government-appointed commission in Sweden has recommended that the Swedish state issue an apology to the indigenous Sami people for past injustices and strengthen their land use rights, particularly in relation to mining and wind power projects. The report, published on Wednesday, highlighted that the Swedish state unilaterally took ownership of significant portions of Sami land, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The commission stated that current Sami communities face substantial challenges in preserving and developing their culture as a direct result of past and present Swedish state policies. It urged the government to acknowledge the historical wrongs, abuses, and violations that have harmed the Sami people.
This development places Sweden alongside other Nordic countries confronting their historical treatment of the Sami. Norway issued an official apology in 2024, and a Finnish commission called for redress in 2025. The Sami were recognized as an indigenous people by the Swedish parliament in 1977, but relations with the state have often been contentious, particularly concerning projects impacting their reindeer herding areas, which cover approximately one-third of Sweden.