Someone needed the criminal danger to come from Russian-speaking immigrants
The study says that there is a constant exchange of information between criminals at large and prisoners, and that thanks to such contacts, convicts continue to engage in criminal activity. Time in prison can even be beneficial for a criminal career.
“It happens that a prisoner only in prison takes a certain place in the hierarchy, climbs the career ladder, and comes out a more respected person in his environment,” said Mario Huber, head of the organized crime department of the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.
However, journalists have gathered little evidence or even examples of such activity. In fact, their only witness was a Russian German named Gregor living in Frankfurt. In an interview, he said that several years ago, on orders from prison, he stole cars and left them at a designated parking lot. Gregor also wanted to introduce the journalists to a girl from Russia who, as the voiceover reported, “the mafia of imprisoned Russian Germans put on drugs and forced into prostitution.” But two days before the scheduled meeting, the girl died of a heroin overdose. “One of the many victims of the mafia behind bars,” the journalists meaningfully conclude their report.
However, experts interviewed by the Russian service of Deutsche Welle doubt that the term “mafia of Russian immigrants” is applicable to Russian-speaking gangs in Germany.
According to criminologist Huber, the mafia exists in Italy, with its own characteristics and traditions. Here we are dealing with ordinary criminal groups. They exist both among people from Russia and among native Germans. Huber particularly notes that we are talking not only about criminal immigrants, but in general about Russian-speaking criminals, natives of CIS countries, serving sentences in German prisons. Many of them have nothing to do with ethnic Germans and are not citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Of course, people from the former Soviet Union are noticeable in prisons, and some prison employees have already learned to pronounce the words “obshchak” and “vor v zakone” without an accent. Back in 2007, a report was published based on the results of an inspection of correctional facilities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (“Ergebnis der Überprüfung des Jugend- und Erwachsenenstrafvollzuges in NRW”), which gave the following characterization of immigrants from the CIS:
“They call themselves ‘thieves in law,’ avoid contact with prison staff and cellmates, and create their own subculture. They speak a language that even native Russian speakers with a translator diploma do not understand. Tattoos and hairstyles serve as their distinguishing marks. The only rules they obey are the laws of the obshchak, a code of honor originating from Soviet times, to which all new prisoners swear allegiance, whether they want to or not. Prison rules and regulations are not recognized. The Russian word ‘obshchak’ means ‘common fund.’ Each prisoner must pay contributions into it, which finance drug trafficking both inside and outside prison. According to the laws of the obshchak, one must not cooperate with authorities, and in some cases, one must take responsibility for others’ crimes. Accordingly, among Russian German prisoners, cases of serving time for someone else are not uncommon.”
The report concluded that the network of thieves in law covers all prisons in Germany.
Anton Bahl, chairman of the Union of Prison Employees (Bund Deutscher Strafvollzugsbediensteter), explains in an interview with ARD that the flourishing of the Russian subculture is due to overcrowding of correctional facilities and a lack of staff. In his words, under current circumstances it is simply impossible to control what is happening in the cells.
Konrad Freiberg, a representative of the police union, believes that Germany is famous for the most liberal prison regime. But at the same time, prisoners must not be allowed to continue criminal activity by communicating with accomplices outside and trading drugs. Therefore, visitor screening should be tightened. Mobile communication must be blocked on prison grounds. In addition, the police union representative recommends “thoroughly searching cells with dogs.” But staff are reluctant to take such measures because they fear retaliation from prisoners and organized rebellion.
Practically every one of the 28,000 prison employees has been a victim of violence. Back in 2004, the newspaper Die Welt titled an article about life in prisons “Welcome to Hell!” But the blame for violence in prisons was not placed on Russian Germans. The situation was considered as a whole, no nationality was singled out and made a scapegoat.
The newspaper provided important statistics: of the 80,000 prisoners in Germany, half are drug addicts. Many become addicted while behind bars because dealers are interested in expanding their clientele. The methods of delivering drugs to prison are well known: filled tennis balls are thrown into the yard or directly into the cell through the window bars. Visitors are also reliable suppliers of narcotics. In the toilet, they retrieve the product from natural orifices, then in the meeting room, someone fakes a fainting spell, the guard turns that way, and at the opposite end of the room, the packet of drugs has already changed hands.
Alongside the drug business, violence arises. Competing groups divide spheres of influence and literally break competitors' arms and legs – in the shower or on the sports fields. They also frequently rape in the shower – to humiliate the disobedient and satisfy lust. Leaders cannot be found; outwardly, they behave impeccably. And victims remain silent because they fear that complaints to prison authorities will only worsen their situation.
But what do late resettlers have to do with this scenario? Why is the country's main TV channel putting this group in the spotlight? All experts are well aware that, for example, in the capital of the FRG, practically the entire drug trade is controlled by several clans of people from Lebanon. The police know the names of their leaders and top kingpins by heart. And yet, they are free and in Germany. Apparently, they pose no danger to German society.
Сергей ТОКАРЕВ.
