WASHINGTON, December 31 (Itar-Tass) —— Ordinary snow became the best New Year gift for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, who marks the holidays in the special block of the US high-security prison Marion near the same-name city in Illinois. “It was snowing heavily on December 25,” Bout wrote to the Itar-Tass correspondent through the closed email system, which is used for the communication with the US penitentiaries. “This came as a surprise for me. I have not seen the snow for five years, so, I enjoyed it as I could,” he noted.
According to Bout’s message, the holidays did not bring any special pleasures to the Marion prisoners in other things. “There were no decorations. “The bags with ‘the gifts’ from the prison authorities with biscuits, snickers, chips and other things like that were given to us two days before the Christmas. But I do not eat this, as it contains too much sugar, corn fruit syrup and etc. The holiday dinner was also given. But I am a vegetarian and I cannot say whether there was something special in it. Probably, a turkey and a sweet potato pie,” Bout explained in reply to the question on this issue.
The tournaments on the table games were also held at the prison on the holidays, but those, who are over 30, were not interested in them, Bout said. By the way, Bout will turn 46 years on January 13.
The volleyball is popular among the sport games at the prison Marion, Bout said. Many prisoners also practise bodybuilding, but it is not mentioned in the note, whether they do it with some apparatuses or without them. As the prison is a maximum security penitentiary, it can hardly be imagined that even the dumbbells can be available there.
“For me personally all these holidays do not matter much. The most important thing is to keep in touch with my family and read good books,” Bout acknowledged. Besides, he frequently quoted the thoughts of famous Hindu mystic Osho.
Meanwhile, the convicted Russian citizen likes listening to the classical music. In his words, he is listening to it for hours in the daytime and night programs on the US NPR radio stations.