He committed terrible acts that undermine the very foundations of the prison system and, of course, block any path to rehabilitation: he walked around his cell wearing a sleeveless shirt.
Given that it was 29°C (84°F) in Oryol, I think it must have been around 35°C (95°F) in the cell.
As a result, he got new disciplinary penalties, so he is going into tomorrow’s parole hearing with as many as 12 still on his record.
Here is what he himself writes:
I’ve already lost count, but I think they’ve slapped him with about thirty disciplinary penalties over a year and a half behind bars. I don’t think there are many prisoners in the whole country who “violate prison rules” so intensively.
And it really is interesting: say they made the decision up there, at the top, “Don’t let him out; we need a hostage.” They could simply keep him in anyway; these days, no explanation is even necessary. Everyone already knows that early release is only for “Oboronservis” (a reference to a high-profile Russian corruption case involving lenient treatment).
Nevertheless, the system comically tries to observe formalities. He was not released because he had disciplinary penalties — meaning he had not “reformed.” The fact that those penalties were imposed for wearing a sleeveless shirt is apparently beside the point.
Oleg writes that the judge he got seems more or less reasonable. We’ll see tomorrow how he decides all this.
The hearing is at 11:30 a.m. at the Uritsky District Court.