As if we needed more proof that blogs and female friendships are both incredible forces of social change, check this out.
Russian lawyer, Svetlana Bakhmina, 39, has been in prison for over three years for tax evasion and embezzlement. Human rights advocates in and outside of Russia have argued, from the get go, that Bakhmina was basically a scapegoat for the real target of the investigation: crooked bazillionaire Dmitri Gololobov.
In any case, Bakhima became pregnant with her third child (she already has a 7 year old and an 11 year old) on a furlough and now the prison camp in Mordovia is refusing to entertain her plea for early release.
Outraged by this, Bakhima's middle school friend, Olga Kalashnikova, wrote a letter on her blog and later to the president about how outraged she was that her dear friend was forced to stay in prison on false charges while pregnant. An excerpt:
Respected Dmitri Anatolevich. I know that the courts in our country are independent. But I am certain that with your will it is fully possible to return a mother to her children. Whether she is guilty or not -- that's not important now. In any case, she has been punished more than enough. And she has already served as an example. But, it is her children who have been punished first of all. Both the two boys who are living without her for the fourth year, and that child that has yet to be born.
The blog evolved into a full blown petition campaign and now over 80,000 have signed for Bakhima's release.
What has your middle school bestie done for you lately?
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Saying that Bakhmina is a scapegoat actually insults her. She was one of the top lawyers in her corporation. She was part of their fishy schemes. There are her signatures all over the papers. And she knew that those schemes were illegal. If someone says that she wasn't, he/she calls Bakhmina a stupid bimbo who rose to her post by chance. Or by sex. Which is not the case. She is smart, educated and hardworking. Therefore - guilty.
Which brings us to the actual feminist question. Why the smart, educated, not religous woman with two children got pregnant while in jail? Why didn't she use condoms and other means of protection during rare long meetings with her husband? Any why did she insist on not getting an abortion (Russian prisons are very pro-abortion)? Is she trying to use her baby to force early release? Or is it just a pro-life stance? Because she could spend next several years raising her baby behind the bars. Early release in Russia is complicated. Especially in politically charged cases like that one.
BTW, Russian judges hate activist pressure. They are not elected officials, they do not care about public opinion.
Actual feminists do not blame women for either getting pregnant or having children.
This is all about responsible behaviour. Russian prisons are not the best places for raising babies (if a woman is not a homeless junkie). Especially if you can wait for a couple of years. And if you already have two kids (so, no "biological clock" clause).
Most feminists expect women to take control over their own lives and reporoduction but to do so in a way that is mature and responsible. That would mean not having a kid just because you feel like it regardless of the circumstances you are in. Parental status should not have anything to do with legal consequences. One could argue that locking up a rapist who is a father is depriving a family of their primary breadwinner as well as their father figure but I don't think any of us would advocate giving him a reduced sentence 'for the children'. That is illogical and legal decisions should be as logical as possible.
Besides, as someone who already had 2 children to care for it was very irresponsible and selfish of her to willfully engage in illegal activity that, if caught, carries a prison sentence. She gambled and lost. Nevermind the government, what kind of an example is SHE setting as the primary role model for her kids?
Being a woman does not mean that you aren't responsible for your actions. Pregnancy and children are not always good things and while anyone has the right to these things, it doesn't mean that they can't be an idiot for getting pregnant or having kids in certain situations. Like a 14-year-old purposefully getting knocked up, or someone keeping a (~$10,000 initially plus ~$150,000 over 18 years) kid just because a ($200 to $600) abortion is too expensive, or someone getting knocked up while doing time in prison and expecting their choice to be a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card. Of course, women aren't the only ones to blame--they rarely get pregnant all by themselves--but they aren't blameless, either.
I don't know anything about this particular case, but in general, if someone is guilty of a crime, should the fact that they have become pregnant mitigate the crime or lessen their punishment? (And that's ignoring the possibility that she got pregnant on purpose in a ploy to get out).
If she was in fact involved with the embezzlement and not simply a "scapegoat", she should serve the full sentence regardless of her parental status. Why should she get special treatment that a convict without kids wouldn't?
Basically, top-managers and lawyers of YUKOS stole about 10 billion dollars of Russian government's money. After that Bakhmina and other lawyers stole millions of their corporation's money. There were also killings, tax evasion stc. Seven years in prison is not that harsh for crimes like that.
If she really is innocent, she should be released, of course, and if that is the case, of course it's good that this is happening.
This does not and should not have anything to do with her pregnancy. When she gives birth, her child should be given to her husband to care for so he or she is not raised in jail (for the child's safety), but she should only be released on the same conditions as any non-pregnant prisoner. Being pregnant does not make a person immune to criminal punishment nor make them more deserving of early release.
If she's innocent, she should be released, of course. But if she's guilty (which has been legally decided) she should serve the full term of her sentence. The idea that a woman can get out of jail because just because she gets pregnant is ridiculous. Prisoners should not get special treatment because of a choice that they made. And I do find it fishy that a highly educated and intelligent woman would happen to get pregnant and choose to keep it when she's serving a term in prison and being pregnant could get her released early.
If this person wants to get her friend out of jail, she should concentrate on getting her exonerated.
I'm living in Russia at this moment, and there are actually MANY pregnant women incarcerated at this time. If one person is released due to pregnancy, then all should be released due to pregnancy. Bakhmina should complete her sentence.