A Russian court fined inmates for writing the word ‘fart’ — no, not that fart, it’s prison slang for ‘luck,’ and it’s now illegal too
A court in Buryatia fined two inmates for displaying symbols of the “extremist movement AUE” — a designation the court applied to the word ”fart” (in Russian, ”фарт,” or “a stroke of luck”) — the independent Russian news outlet Verstka reports.
According to court rulings, inmates Sambu Radnabazarov and Alexander Goncharov were practicing their handwriting and wrote the words “fart” and “With a Convict’s Respect” on postcards. Federal Penitentiary Service officials deemed the words a display of “extremist organization” symbols.
Both inmates pleaded guilty. “He did not understand what the words meant,” each ruling read. “He now understands and no longer uses these expressions.”
The court fined each inmate 1,000 rubles (about $13).
AUE, an abbreviation for ”Arestantsky Uklad Edin” (“the Convict Order is United”) or ”Arestantskoe Urkaganskoe Edinstvo” (“Convict-Thug Unity”), refers to a subculture that transplants prison rules into teenagers’ daily lives. In 2020, Russia’s Supreme Court labeled it an “extremist organization” and banned it.
Verstka reports that Russian courts previously treated the slang word ”fart” (again, “a stroke of luck” in Russian) as connected to AUE only when it appeared in set slogans — ”fartu masti” (literally, “a stroke of luck to the caste”) or ”fartu masti AUE!” — phrases drawn from criminal jargon that wish good luck on the criminal world.
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