MARION /Illinois/, September 20. /TASS/. Viktor Bout, a Russian national serving out a sentence in the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, plans to write a book about his trials and tribulations, his wife, Alla Bout, told TASS on Thursday. His spouse along with his daughter Yelizaveta were allowed to see him on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since he was sentenced in 2012.
"He is going to — or at least he says he is morally almost ready — to write a book," Alla Bout said. She explained that her husband would like to share his experience "of surviving in tough conditions — meditation, certain yoga exercises, other exercises to improve mental and physical health."
""He [learnt] a lot of things over this time — things that he absorbed and not just bookish or encyclopedic knowledge. This is an enormous amount of literature that he himself reviewed, thought out and actually tested," his wife said.
"Not enough time in the day"
Alla Bout also revealed that her husband had worked out a specific daily schedule long ago. "He never strays from it — he is a strong man, he’s tough, a former military man — he has sufficient willpower," she said. "He gets up, begins with yoga, then goes on to do some reading followed by a little snack, later he studies languages and reads again. He says, 'I do not have enough time in the day to do everything I planned for the day'."
According to Alla Bout, her husband has been actively spending his time to maintain his mental health. "When you are occupied with something, it is not that hard," she pointed out.
The prison’s central figure
"There are people there, but he is the only Russian — the face of the United States Penitentiary, Marion," she stressed. "There is barely anyone to talk to because even the Americans that are there have a totally different mindset," Alla Bout added.
At the same time, she emphasized that Viktor is being treated well. "The security guards have no complaints about him and don’t pick on him, there are no conflicts like in other prisons. This jail is different from others because there are no gangs here warring with each other. Everyone sticks to their groups and they never butt heads in spite of having the same areas to walk in and a shared canteen. Nevertheless, Viktor keeps to himself, he has his own program," Alla noted.
First meeting in seven years
Viktor Bout saw his wife and daughter for the first time in seven years on Wednesday and Thursday since he was convicted back in 2012. Earlier, Alla Bout told reporters that the United States Penitentiary authorities in Marion allowed four-hour meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well on Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore, his daughter and wife will be able to see Viktor four times a week in prison over their 45-day stay in the US.
Viktor Bout was apprehended in the Thai capital of Bangkok in 2008 on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by a local court at the request of the US. He was charged with conspiracy to deliver weapons to a group calling itself the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States. In 2010, Bout was extradited to the United States. In April 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars along with a $15 million forfeiture.