The fight for the self-determination of the Sami community in Finland continues

Aslak Holmberg, president of the Sami Council, which operates for the protection of the values ​​of the Sami community, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Sami community, which has no right to self-determination, may be exposed to attitudes such as discrimination, racism and mistreatment.

Holmberg said the Finnish government should take the necessary steps to ensure Semites have a say in how their traditional lands are governed.

According to Holmberg, the renewal of the law will strengthen the right of self-determination of the Sami community.

For thousands of years, the Sami Indians have lived in the far north of Europe in what is known as Sapmi, a sustainable and culturally rich Sami land surrounded by nature.

The Sami, one of the largest indigenous communities in Europe living in the wilderness of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia, try to coexist with the modern world and preserve their ancient traditions and cultures.

According to the United Nations (UN), Semites still face human rights abuses and racism today. The UN also issues criticism of policies aimed at forcibly assimilating the indigenous group in Sweden.

The UN criticized the Finnish government for its violation of human rights and called for changes to the law that would allow Semites self-determination.

ATTEMPTS MADE NEGATIVE RESULTS

In the Scandinavian country of Finland, there have been numerous attempts to amend the Sami Territory Law over the past decade, but these attempts have resulted in disagreement.

In a statement to the AA correspondent, activist Inka Musta stated that she did not expect the ongoing struggle for years to last for so long, saying: “Unfortunately, it is politically savvy for the Center Party to oppose this bill.”

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin also apologized to the Sami community in October for the government’s failure to go through with the proposal. (AA)