Question by Avner Eliyahu R: Who is the most “senior” prisoner (who served more time then others) in Russia, and for what crime?
I am actually asking about other former USSR countries, at least those who are not chronic US client states.
Also, what are conditions in Russian (or Ukrainian, or Belorussian etc.) prisons?
I am asking all these questions, because some demagogues commonly try to give people the impression that Israel, South Africa, the USA and other countries are “more civilized and more liberal” then Russia today.
So I would like an honest comparison, and I thank you in advance.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Quizzard
During the Soviet era, many people were sent to Gulags for little or no reason. Many of them remain even today. Nobody keeps or kept records that were released to the public.
Even most Russians accept that crime and corruption is rampant in the former Soviet Union. I’m not sure how that correlates to your ‘liberal’ comment or what you mean by that, but certainly conditions in Rissian jails are worse than in the US. On the other hand, the US has by far the largest prison population on a per capita basis (mostly due to drug crimes)
South Africa is as bad if not worse than Russia in just about any justice (or other) measure, I’m not sure why you would include them in your comparison?
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Dick Goldschmuck says
I am not sure, but on a court order, leaders of an attempted coup in 1993 were released in 1994. So I really don’t think there are prisoners in Russia from before that, certainly not from the Soviet era.
In fact, The most senior prisoner in Russia is probably Salman Raduyev, who was a leader of a faction of Chechen separatists. He is in prison for abducting and murdering people indiscriminately. That means, not for killing a notorious terrorist, even not for killing a prime minister, and obviously not for an attempt on the life of a genocidal president, or for passing secrets to a friendly state. He is simply in prison for murdering many innocent people, and he is in prison since the year 2000.
So this is an answer to the question of who is more civilized, Russia or countries like the USA, South Africa and Israel.