September 06, 2023

Navalny, Lexiconvict


Navalny, Lexiconvict
Protest signs reading "#FreeNavalny." Liza Poor, Unsplash.

The Russian Supreme Court rejected Alexei Navalny's lawsuit contesting a ban on using prison slang within the Melekhovo penal institution, where he's imprisoned. Navalny risked solitary confinement for using the vernacular.

Navalny's request for a list of prohibited terms was denied by prison authorities, leading to his highlighting an inconsistency: Despite widespread use of the same jargon within the facility, only he has faced repercussions. Initially, Federal Penitentiary Service officials denied the existence of such a list, but later admitted to a classified USSR document from 1983, prompting Navalny to take legal action.

In a Kovrov district court hearing, Navalny revealed that he faced the threat of solitary confinement for using terms such as balanda (referring to prison gruel), shkonka (a cell bunk), krysha (slang for protection), and zek (inmate).

Navalny highlighted the absurdity of prison slang restrictions by describing a hypothetical scenario of a Supreme Court justice stepping out of a sauna and exclaiming, “What a pleasure!” Technically, using the word kayf (pleasure) would be a prison violation since it is on the Ministry of Justice's list as slang for drug use. He argued that the word has become a part of everyday Russian even aside from drug-related connotations. Navalny also pointed out that terms like sledak (investigator) and terpila (victim), once associated with criminals, have now become accepted jargon in professional settings.

Supreme Court Justice Kirillov dismissed Navalny's lawsuit to reconsider the ban on prison slang, affirming that the prohibition on using terms from the "criminal environment" will remain unchanged.

You Might Also Like

Cruel and Unusual
  • August 06, 2023

Cruel and Unusual

The regime is hell-bent on silencing and slowly murdering Alexei Navalny. Here is his Last Word after his trumped up conviction last week.
Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign
  • June 21, 2023

Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign

Politician and political prisoner Alexei Navaly is launching a "big propaganda machine" to counter Putin and pro-war propaganda.
The Hygiene Hindrance
  • March 31, 2023

The Hygiene Hindrance

As a strange form of punishment, Alexei Navalny was reportedly placed in a cell with a prisoner who has bad hygiene. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955