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Sweden sets up truth commission to probe crimes against Sami community

The Swedish government has vowed to set up a truth commission to examine the country's past treatment of the Sami minority.

Published: 3 November 2021 15:56 CET
Sweden sets up truth commission to probe crimes against Sami community
Swedish and Sami representatives at a ceremony in 2019, which saw the reburial of Sami remains at the cemetery from which they were taken in Lycksele. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

The commission would be tasked with charting and investigating the policies affecting the Sami and their implementation.

“It feels very good that we can finally appoint a truth commission,” culture and democracy minister Amanda Lind said in a statement.

“The government has a responsibility to increase knowledge of the abuses, rights violations and racism that Sami people have been subjected to,” Lind continued.

The minister also said that increasing awareness of “historical injustices” was important to “facilitate reconciliation”.

The Sami are believed to have arrived in the region at the end of the last ice age.

Victims of a brutal assimilation policy in the past, today they have been recognised as an indigenous people and have their own parliament in Sweden, but rights groups continue to denounce the state’s handling of Sami issues.

Although Sweden does not include ethnicities in any censuses, the Sami Parliament estimates between 20,000 and 40,000 Sami live in the country.

Of these, between 2,500 and 3,000 make a living from traditional reindeer herding, closely linked to Sami culture.

The commission would also be tasked with spreading awareness of Sami history and how past abuses affect Sami people today.

Last week, a similar initiative was launched in neighbouring Finland, when the government officially appointed a truth and reconciliation commission to “collect Sami people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state”.

The independent Finnish panel, whose five members were appointed by both the government and Sami representatives, is expected to begin hearing testimony within the coming weeks and will deliver its final report in November 2023.

Members of the Swedish commission have yet to be appointed but according to the government it would be tasked with presenting its findings by December 1st, 2025.

Representatives of the Sami Parliament, which together with Sami interest groups petitioned Sweden’s government to establish a truth commission in 2019, welcomed the announcement.

“It is now time that the Sami people’s history and reality comes to light,” said Marie Persson Njajta, chair of the Sami Parliament’s group for a truth commission.

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QURAN BURNINGS

Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

A new report recommends amending Sweden's Public Order Act to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings in the interest of national security.

Published: 5 July 2024 12:42 CEST
Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

The inquiry commission mandated by the Swedish government to look into whether applications for demonstrations with planned Quran burnings could be rejected on the grounds that they present a threat to national security presented its recommendations on July 5th.

The commission announced that Sweden’s Public Order Act could be amended to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings, citing national security concerns.

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The government set up the commission in response to violent protests in Muslim countries triggered by Quran burnings in Sweden in recent years.

These events included the storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July 2023 and an increased terrorist threat against Sweden, prompting the authorities to investigate how the police could consider national security when deciding on permits for public gatherings, including demonstrations.

Commission recommendations

The investigation, led by Mattias Larsson, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) head, concluded that the laws could be adjusted to allow the police to factor in Sweden’s security without violating constitutional or European laws.

Its report (which you can read in full here) presented three potential approaches.

The first approach would allow the police to impose conditions on the time or place of the gathering or outright refuse permits if the event is likely to pose a significant threat to national security, such as acts of terrorism or crimes threatening Swedish interests abroad.

The second suggested that the police could set conditions other than timing or location to safeguard national security, such as banning specific acts during the demonstration, like burning books.

The third approach proposed amending the rules to give the police more power to set conditions for the time and place of the gathering without introducing new security considerations.

All three options aim to increase the ability to cancel a public gathering if necessary to protect life and health during the event. 

These legal changes are intended to take effect on July 1st, 2025, after a period of consultation.

The broader context

The move comes after Denmark passed legislation in December 2023 criminalising the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts, effectively banning Quran burnings.

Despite this, Sweden’s Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer, has previously argued against following Denmark’s approach, emphasising the importance of free speech and existing laws against hate speech.

Strömmer’s stance reflects the Swedish government’s belief that a flat-out ban is unnecessary.

Instead, the focus has been on reviewing the Public Order Act to ensure that national security considerations can be integrated into decisions about demonstration permits.

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