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Prison administration relaxes rules for Russian arms dealer’s family meetings, says wife

According to Alla Bout, she and her daughter were treated "humanely" in the prison

Viktor Bout EPA/NARONG SANGNAK

Viktor Bout

© EPA/NARONG SANGNAK

MARION /Illinois/, September 20. /TASS/. The administration of the United States Penitentiary, Marion (Illinois) relaxed a number of rules for the family of Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout who serves a sentence there, the Russian’s 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.

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According to Alla Bout, she and Yelizaveta were treated "humanely" in the prison. "Everyone knows who we are, everyone knows perfectly well who Viktor is," she pointed out. "Everyone knows that we haven’t been there for a while, that we were fighting for this meeting for a long time and that we were not allowed additional hours at first. That is why we were allowed to hug and stand next to each other, holding hands."

"Even when Liza [diminutive for Yelizaveta — TASS] sat next to her father and I also did the same, [the guards] did not say anything for some time, but then asked us to sit opposite to him anyway. They waited, tolerated it but then asked us not to break the rules because there are cameras there — rules are rules," Alla Bout said.

"I would not say the treatment was biased. Nobody interfered, on the contrary, at the first request we were allowed to approach, get water," Bout’s wife continued.

Long-awaited meeting

Alla Bout pointed out that their first meeting in seven years took place in a common hall "where meetings are held on Saturdays and Sundays." "A usual hall, parallel tables and benches, the prison rules say that everyone must sit opposite each other, half a meter away. Posters hang everywhere warning that it is forbidden to hold hands or give food," Bout revealed. "We had a very fruitful conversation today. Not as chaotic as yesterday, when emotions were overflowing, although they did today as well," she said.

Alla lamented that the hall was very cold and that was why on the first visit Viktor rushed his family to go so that they do not get sick. "Today we took warm clothes with us for the second visit, we were told it’s allowed," Alla Bout 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.

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