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United Civic Party launches campaign to raise funds for political prisoners, orphans

The United Civic Party has launched a campaign to raise funds for aid to political prisoners and Christmas/New Year gifts to orphans, Hanna Krasulina, spokeswoman for the opposition party, told BelaPAN.

The people giving the largest donations will be rewarded with "unique works of art," she said.

The objective of the campaign is to "remind people in a grim political situation that bitter and angry feelings, which the authorities are now trying to capitalize on, are not good."

"We want to introduce some bright colors and show that even in such weather, under such conditions something must be done in a creative, bright, interesting manner," Ms. Krasulina said.

She revealed that the "works of art" would be paintings by UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka; Stanislaw Bahdankevich, former chairman of the National Bank of Belarus; ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Chyhir; and former TV anchor Zinaida Bandarenka. One of the paintings will be presented to a donor at a ceremony at the UCP office in Minsk on December 21.

"In my opinion, $500 is a large donation. Considering that we are inviting foreign diplomats to take part, we hope that there will be donations of such an amount. This will be not only a contribution to assistance to political prisoners and children, this may be a smart investment as the paintings are exclusive and, hopefully, will be a rarity in future Belarus," Ms. Krasulina said.