Sawt Falasteen - Truth commission urges Finland to rectify Sami injustices

The commission collected testimonials from nearly 400 Sami and dozens of experts to shed light on the discrimination and human rights violations perpetrated by the Finnish state, including an assimilation policy.

Up until the late 20th century, Sami children were separated from their families and placed in boarding schools, where they were banned from speaking their own languages and practising their culture and traditional livelihoods.

The commission submitted its final report to the prime minister and Sami representatives on Thursday.

Finland has yet to formally apologise to the Sami people, but Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters after the handover ceremony: "It is clear to me that an apology must be made."

Around 10,000 Sami live in Finland out of a total of around 75,000-100,000 -- the rest are scattered across a homeland that also straddles parts of Sweden, Norway and the interior of Russia's Kola Peninsula.

Their culture and language are rooted in the traditional livelihoods of reindeer husbandry, fishing, gathering and handicrafts.

Three Sami languages are spoken in Finland -- Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.

Finland's assimilation policy was never written in law like in neighbouring Sweden and Norway, but "the end result has been the same", commission chair Hannele Pokka told AFP.

The commission said in its report that the state must "assume responsibility for historic injustices" and acknowledge the country had been "established on the lands of two people, the Sami and the Finns".

- 'A good future' -

Today, the Sami people face hardships caused by climate change and competition for land use in the Arctic region, the report said.

Their rights as an indigenous people were also not being fully respected.

The commission proposed 68 measures involving legal and administrative changes to ensure the Sami people "a good future" and Pokka said she hoped to see government action "as soon as possible".

Among other things, it urged the government to adopt the International Labour Organization's Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, to introduce legislation governing Sami reindeer husbandry and establish a unit coordinating Sami affairs in the prime minister's office.

Truth and reconciliation commissions have in recent years revealed violations and discrimination against indigenous people in Australia, Canada and the other Nordic countries.

T.Khatib--SF-PST