Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has stated the Finnish state should apologize to the Sámi people. He made the declaration during a press conference presenting the final report of the Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The landmark report details the profound impacts of decades of assimilation policies on the Indigenous Sámi population in Finland. It calls for concrete state accountability for historical injustices.
The commission's findings reveal a systematic policy of Finnishization. The report states boarding schools served as powerful tools for assimilation. Children were separated from their families, their language use was restricted, and they were taught only in Finnish based on mainstream cultural values. Many lost connection to their native tongue and identity. The trauma from these practices persists across generations within Sámi communities. Churches and revival movements actively supported state actions aimed at replacing the Sámi way of life.
Prime Minister Orpo, representing the National Coalition Party, proposed a specific path forward. He suggested a parliamentary group comprising representatives from all parties in the Eduskunta should first consider the method of apology. The goal is to make the apology as comprehensive and meaningful as possible. This cross-party approach seeks broad political consensus for a historic gesture of reconciliation.
The Sámi Parliament Act, passed by the Eduskunta in June, provides a new legal backdrop. This law improves the Sámi Parliament's opportunities to participate in and influence decision-making on matters concerning the Sámi. The timing connects legislative progress with the commission's call for moral reckoning.
The report extends beyond historical analysis to current threats. It concludes that Sámi living space is continuously shrinking. Climate change effects are pronounced in the Sámi homeland. Declining salmon stocks in the Teno River have led to fishing bans for multiple years, threatening an entire river Sámi culture. Forestry, expanding tourism, and mechanical gold mining also pressure Sámi culture. New large-scale land users include mining, wind power construction, and increased military training exercises by the Finnish Defence Forces.
A critical modern oversight is also highlighted. The commission notes Sámi rights received insufficient consideration during preparations for Finland's NATO membership and the Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States. This points to an ongoing failure to integrate Indigenous rights into high-level security and foreign policy.
The commission's work establishes an undeniable historical record. It moves the discussion from whether wrongs occurred to how the state should respond. Orpo's call for an apology signals a potential shift in the state's approach, though the form and substance remain to be defined. The political process he envisions will test the commitment of all parliamentary groups to genuine reconciliation. The report makes clear that an apology, while necessary, must be part of broader actions addressing land rights, cultural preservation, and meaningful self-determination to heal decades of policy-driven harm.