Tomorrow there will be a preliminary review of the supervisory hearing in the case of Vladimir Kozlov. What are we expecting from this day? Of course, we have no illusions. But deep inside there is a little hope that something will change. It's not even a hope, but  rather wishful thinking on our part. Despite the fact that we are ready to continue our fight and pursue justice, we must admit - after 1.5 years we are tired. We suffer from physical and moral fatigue. Or, maybe not 'we', but I do. It transpired that I am Volodya's only relative in the Republic of Kazakhstan who is permitted to do anything with regard to him, visit him, etc. However, due to certain circumstances, I probably won't be able to attend the next meetings, scheduled after August 10, i.e. in November or December. And then (from January 2014), for another half a year, I probably won't go anywhere, either. It's too far and too cold (-40 degrees Celsius in winter) for a 1 or 2-month-old child... It's a difficult issue. I remember the buzz around Strategy 2050, in which one of the most important elements was family, it claimed that it was necessary to support families, to encourage them. It seems like, as is usually the case, this policy wasn't intended for everyone in the Republic of Kazakhstan, but only for the 'author' of this strategy. Whenever I read all kinds of reports, disseminated by Akorda, stating that family policy of Kazakhstan should be aimed not only at boosting the birth rate, but also at strengthening the family institution in view of its vital functions and contribution to the improvement of the demographic situation, it makes me laugh... How hypocritical!

Let's put aside the illegal conviction for a moment. There is a plain court sentence. Based on the letter of the law, Volodya should have been placed in a colonyin the Almaty Province from the very beginning. But he wasn't. These freaks dragged him to the north, offering only a nonsensical explanation that the detention centre in Aktau is interconnected with North Kazakhstan Province. In the Criminal Executive Code there is no such provision that any detention centre has been connected to any specific area. There are clear rules: the convict should serve his sentence in the vicinity of his place of residence. And every law that is contrary to the CEC, even the defective one that we have, is illegal. Oh, yes, later they changed their policy (Minister Kassymov) and began to preach some heresy that there is no place in the colonies of the Almaty Province. Right…. get in the queue for your prisons, gentlemen convicts!! And then, their explanations became even funnier: alas, it appears that the law (which they had previously enacted), prohibits the transfer of a convicted person from one colony to another... Oh, gentlemen from Akorda, how easy it is for you to change your explanation…

The preliminary trial of Vladimir Kozlov will be held on 05^th August 2013 - information was published on the website of the Supreme Court.

http://supcourt.kz/rus/003/2013/05.08.2013.html

Volodya called. Nothing has changed since we last spoke, no one has provided him with treatment, they are currently renovating the barracks. The prisoners of the 2nd unit have already finished renovating their barracks and Vladimir along with all the others returned to the second unit. He has developed severe pain in his right hip joint. He wrote an application to the infirmary for the provision of medical care, but he hasn't received any reply. He received letters from Dimitriy, from his friends (Oleg Zhuridov), his parents, Sagat Zhusip and others. He sends his best wishes to Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Bakhyt Niyazbekovna, Zhemis Utegenovna and others. Despite his condition (his illness and fatigue), during our conversation Volodya was mainly concerned about my condition, he asked if I was managing to survive , how difficult things are for me now and if I receive any help. As usual, he cares about other people, putting his problems and concerns aside...
Now I am gathering things to put in a large parcel for Volodya. I've really been thinking hard about what I should send him that would help him gain some weight. I do not want to see him like that or get used to his present appearance, all that are visible now are his eyes, ears and nose. He is a walking skeleton. Some time ago, in one of the parcels, we (friends, associates, colleagues) sent him, among other things, small baursaks. Volodya asked me to send him some more of these, he said they were very tasty and they could be stored without losing their freshness, for a long time. Unfortunately, I do not remember who brought them. 'The author of baursaks', if you are on FB, please give me the recipe! Everyone makes them their own way, but if he liked these particular baursaks, I will make him the same ones.
We are now looking forward to a short-term meeting, which will take place next week and when I will have more time to ask Volodya about his health condition and his problems. Hopefully, we will be given 3 hours, as required by law, and not 1 hour, as we are usually given. It's a stupid system where the term 'up to 3 hours' may be interpreted arbitrarily and, instead of 2 hours and 55 minutes we are usually allowed 30 or 50 minutes. And most importantly, why? Why do that? What is the colony administration's reason for doing that? People who are so mercilessly separated from their families, serving their sentences in harsh conditions, are deprived of the opportunity to converse with their families. And where is this proverbial triumph of justice? Especially, if you know you are innocent, and you are suddenly deprived of everything: your family, property, and attempts are made to take away your dignity and honour.
There are many theories regarding the punishment... In view of this, there is also a variety of approaches to the nature and content of punishment. Some theories, approaches and methods of content have been deemed unacceptable in the legal world... but, as it seems, not in our country. And so, I.Y. Foinitskiy wrote: "The penalty is a coercion to be applied to those who committed a criminal act... Coercion is the infliction or a promise to inflict deprivation or suffering upon the punished person; thus, any punishment is aimed at the destruction of a virtue of a convicted man: his property, freedom, honour, legal capacity, physical integrity, and sometimes even at his life". Unfortunately, this is an accurate description of our correctional system, which our government applies towards 'the chosen ones', where there is no room for international covenants, rights and freedoms. I believe that sooner or later it will pass, if only because we are still young and will surely live to see the changes. After everything that has happened to us, to my family, I often reflect on the question: do I have a moral right to the principle of retaliation?