Finland Committed Decades of Injustices Against Indigenous Sami People

Finland pursued decades of unjust assimilation practices against the indigenous Sami people inhabiting the northernmost parts of the country, according to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that investigated past wrongdoings.

The state’s actions included sending children away from their families to schools and dormitories where they restricted from speaking their native language as well as transferring land from the Sami to the state, according to a report released Thursday. The commission was set up in 2021 to collect Sami experiences of state actions.