Thief in law

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Thief in law (Russian: вор в законе, "vor v zakone"; plural thieves in law "vory v zakone") is a skilled worker, particularly a thief, within the Russian criminal world who satisfies certain requirements of the Russian criminal traditions.

Contents

[edit] History

Although Russia has long had criminals and bandits operating in the vast peripheral areas of the nation, during the disorder of the Revolution armed gangs proliferated until they were a very significant factor in society. This became known as the "vorovskoy mir" or "thieves' world".

As the Soviet Union was brought back to order, the NKVD nearly destroyed the criminal underworld in the Soviet Union. However, it was in the prison camps of Stalin that a new system arose, the vory v zakone.

The "thieves in law" formed as a society for mutual support within the prison camps, and adopted a system of collective responsibility, and swearing a code of "complete submission to the laws of criminal life, including obligations to support the criminal ideal, and rejection of labor and political activities." As an example, should a Vor (Вор) ever be unfortunate enough to be incarcerated in a prison camp, he would refuse to perform any labor, as the code would mandate that "Thy own prison shalt thou not make." The groups also organized their own courts around a code of thieves honor and tradition. Acceptance into the group was often marked by extensive tattooing (see Criminal tattoo). The tattooing would often be indicative of rank within the society and/or noteworthy criminal accomplishments.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union the vory assumed a leading role within the Russian criminal hierarchy (see Russian Mafia). They are given the title by other vory and in order to be accepted they must demonstrate considerable leadership skills, personal ability, intellect and charisma. Once accepted they must live according to the code. The penalty for violation of this code is often mutilation or death.

One famous Vor V Zakone is Vladimir Podatev who was appointed a member of the commission for human rights under the President Yeltsin, in spite of three previous felony convictions for murder, assault, and rape. Another famous vor is Vyacheslav Ivankov, notorious mobster with convictions in both the former Soviet Union and the United States.

[edit] The Thief's Code

Under the code of the vory, a thief must...

  • Forsake his relatives -- father, brothers, sisters...[citation needed]
  • Not have a family of his own -- no wife, no children; this does not however, preclude him from having a lover.[citation needed]
  • Never, under any circumstances work, no matter how much difficulty this brings; live only on means gleaned from theft. Violent crimes and sex crimes are strongly frowned upon and may endanger a vor's status. Arms smuggling and drug trafficking are considered a form of commerce and are therefore incompatible with the status of a thief in law.
  • Help other thieves -- both by moral and material support, utilizing the commune of thieves.
  • Keep secret information about the whereabouts of accomplices (i.e. dens, districts, hideouts, safe apartments, etc.).
  • In unavoidable situations (if a thief is under investigation) to take the blame for someone else's crime; this buys the other person time of freedom.[citation needed]
  • Demand a convocation of inquiry for the purpose of resolving disputes in the event of a conflict between oneself and other thieves, or between thieves.
  • If necessary, participate in such inquiries.
  • Carry out the punishment of the offending thief as decided by the convocation.[citation needed]
  • Not resist carrying out the decision of punishing the offending thief who is found guilty, with punishment determined by the convocation.[citation needed]
  • Have good command of the thieves' jargon ("Fenya").
  • Not gamble without being able to cover losses.
  • Teach the trade to young beginners.[citation needed]
  • Have, if possible, informants from the rank and file of thieves.[citation needed]
  • Not lose your reasoning ability when using alcohol.[citation needed]
  • Have nothing to do with the authorities (particularly with the ITU, Correctional Labor Authority), not participate in public activities, nor join any community organizations.
  • Not take weapons from the hands of authorities; not serve in the military.
  • Make good on promises given to other thieves.

[edit] In popular culture

  • They are also featured in the popular Soviet comedy film Gentlemen of Fortune. Although the issue is not directly addressed, both the main character and the criminal he is impersonating sport prison tattoos that may be found on a vor. The black comedy film Zhmurki also features a character who is a vor.
  • In the Soviet TV miniseries The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed the police are tasked with bringing down a gang of vicious robbers known as the Black Cats in post-war Moscow, several members of which are described as thieves in law.
  • The Thief's Code is also featured in the Criminal Minds episode Honor Among Thieves.
  • The "Vor v'zakone" also make an appearance in the 2006 Paul Walker film Running Scared, where John Noble stars as a Russian Mafia family head in Little Odessa named Ivan Yugorsky. Ivan is the uncle of Anzor Yugorsky played by Karel Roden, and next-door neighbor of Paul Walker's character Joey Gazelle, who is a smalltime associate of Tommy and Frank Perello, who run the local italian mafia. Near the end of the movie, during an argument in a hockey rink, Joey Gazelle uses the word 'vor' as an insult to the elder Yugorsky, ultimately precipitating a fight and gunbattle between the two rival mafias.

[edit] References

  • Gurov, A. I. (1990). Professional Crime Past and Present. Moscow: Iuridicheskaia Literatura. 
  • Fikenauer, James O; Waring, Elin J. (1998). Russian Mafia In America: Immigration Culture and Crime. Boston: Northeastern University Press. 

[edit] External links