The employees are afraid a closure of the Kola Sami Radio will make it impossible to start up again later. Both the tax authorities and the state attorney are seriously concerned about how the radio station will cover their debt of 270,000 RUR reports NRK Sami Radio in Norway.
NRK has tried to get in contact with the director of Kola Sami Radio, Aleksandr Paul, without success.
Talking to BarentsObserver this afternoon, journalist Jevgenij Kirillov says the director is trying to do his best to solve the situation. - We are all working hard to find a way out of the economical troubles, but it is not easy, says Kirillov.
The authorities are accusing Kola Sami Radio for not paying the debt and salaries, and therefore are threatening to put the radio station’s director in jail, Kirillov said.
Kola Sami Radio has been in economical trouble for a long time. In February the Norwegian Barents Secretariat granted 45,000 NOK (€5,000) and said they also hoped other organisations would assist the only radio station in Russia broadcasting in the Sami language, BarentsObserver reported.
The establishment of the Kola Sami Radio is probably the project for indigenous peoples within the Barents Region which has got most funding this decade from international organizations and governments.
In addition to the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, funding has also been provided by the Norwegian Sami Parliament, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the European Union’s Interreg programme. In total, Kola Sami Radio has got millions of roubles during the last decade.
The grants provided were only for the start-up costs forthe important radio programs in Kildin Sami language – not for the daily operations.
