As Mikhail Khodorkovsky continues to write his prison chronicles, the Russian magazine, The New Times, has published his latest story about the individuals he encounters in his penal colony. In this instance, Khodorkovsky focuses on a character for whom being in prison and being free are in many ways the same thing.

The main character is called “Rustam”, but this is not his real name. Khodorkovsky writes: “his card says otherwise. But the card is a lie too: he’s in prison under forged documents, a fact he does not try to hide”.

He continues: “By nationality Rustam is a Tajik, by profession – a thief. He loves his “profession”, and you can feel that he wouldn’t change it for anything… Rustam seems to like telling stories. He works next to me in the workshop. It’s boring there, so I listen with interest.”

The full story can be read here in Russian.

As Mikhail Khodorkovsky continues to write his prison chronicles, the Russian magazine, The New Times, has published his latest story about the individuals he encounters in his penal colony. In this instance, Khodorkovsky focuses on a character for whom being in prison and being free are in many ways the same thing.

The main character is called “Rustam”, but this is not his real name. Khodorkovsky writes: “his card says otherwise.  But the card is a lie too:  he’s in prison under forged documents, a fact he does not try to hide”.

He continues: “By nationality Rustam is a Tajik, by profession – a thief.  He loves his “profession”, and you can feel that he wouldn’t change it for anything… Rustam seems to like telling stories.  He works next to me in the workshop.  It’s boring there, so I listen with interest.”

The full story can be read here in Russian.