‘They want total control’: how Russia is forcing Sami people to hide their identity

Andrei Danilov, a representative of the Sami People from the Kola peninsula, 53, lives in a refugee camp in northern Norway. Photograph: Supplied

Sami people in Russia are being forced to hide their identity and live “outside the law” for fear of imprisonment and persecution, leading figures from the community have warned, after the government labelled dozens of Indigenous organisations terrorists and extremists.

In July, Russia’s ministry of justice added 55 Indigenous organisations to a list of terrorists and extremists, meaning that representatives of the groups – and anyone who takes part, cooperates or communicates with them – risk being sentenced to years in prison.