Collection of donations is going on

Press Release, 13.09.2023

UPD. The total amount collected in support of political prisoners together with donations which came after the auction, as of 14 September at 20:00 (Moscow time), is 3.674.276 roubles.

In total, 23 lots were sold at the auction: works by contemporary artists, as well as things, books, photographs and paintings donated specially for the auction by political prisoners Alexei Gorinov and Sasha Skochilenko, lawyer Mikhail Biryukov, human rights defender Oleg Orlov, musician Vera Musayelyan, politicians Grigory Yavlinsky , Nikolai Rybakov and Sergei Mitrokhin, journalists Ksenia Sobchak and Oleg Kashin, political scientists Yekaterina Shulman and Valery Solovey and others.

The most expensive lot was a watch given by Mikhail Gorbachev to Dmitry Muratov. The lot, which belonged to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, was sold for 1.600 million roubles.

All funds raised will go to help political prisoners: Grigory Melkonyants, Co-Chairman of the GOLOS independent observers movement, Olga Smirnova arrested for “fakes” about the army, Maxim Lypkan, Maria Ponomarenko, Roman Ivanov and Mikhail Simonov, as well as two members of Yabloko – Vasily Neustroyev, who is in jail on charges under six articles of the Criminal Code, and a member of the Yabloko branch in Khakassis, journalist Mikhail Afanasyev, sentenced to 5.5 years in prison under the article on “fakes”.

Yabloko leaders addressed those who gathered in the hall of the Yabloko party office and the audience watching the auction online.

Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko:

“Today we have gathered to help people who have been isolated from life, from society, from children and their loved ones, because of what they think. Can you imagine how much grief they have? And it is especially important that we are talking today not about the most famous political prisoners, not about professional politicians, but about those who got there because of conscience, because they were not indifferent to what was happening around them. We must be aware that each of us could be in their place tomorrow.”

Nikolai Rybakov, Yabloko Chairman:

“This event is special for us, because many of those for whom we are raising money at this auction today have been in this hall. These people are from different spheres, not all of them are politicians, but they are all, to a certain extent, romantics who, through their work and their belief in what they do, have been striving to change life for the better. I really hope that through this auction we can make their lives better.”

Photo: Sergei Mitrokhin, member of Yabloko Federal Political Committee and deputy of the Moscow City Duma

Photo: lawyer Mikhail Biryukov

After all the lots were sold, the auction organisers announced that they would continue to accept donations of any size from any Russian citizen to a bank card opened specially for the auction and also warned that when transferring funds, it is important to indicate the word “donation” in the comments to the payment.

Photo: human rights defender Oleg Orlov

The total amount of donations collected in support of political prisoners will be announced on 14 September at 20:00 (Moscow time).

More photos are here