Armenian prisoners show their works at exhibition in Yerevan

A selling exhibition of creations made by about 50 inmates of criminal-corrective establishments of Armenia, organized with the help of the "Foundation for Helping Convicts", acting under the Ministry of Justice, is on now in the Armenia capital.

The exhibition presents one hundred works made in most differing techniques and from different materials: a lot of wooden items, from nut-tree, in particular, from ebonite, ornaments, icons and paintings. Also, souvenirs made from apsedian and ceramics are on the show.

Sona Karapetyan, an employee of the Foundation, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the primary goal of this self-financed entity is to provide prisoners with necessary tools and materials, including wood, ebonite, ceramics, copper, aluminium; and to help in selling their finished articles. The money earned from sale of the works are transferred, upon the wish of the prisoners, to their personal bank accounts or delivered to their families.

"We organize selling exhibitions, aimed not only at material, but also moral encouragement of the people doomed to stay behind bars," said Ms Karapetyan.

The "Foundation for Helping Convicts" operates in Armenia for more than 10 years. Selling exhibitions are arranged once a year and have already become traditional.