Life on the Other Side of Justice — Tatyana Sukhareva

About the Book

Life on the Other Side of Justice is a book about police abuse in Russia, fabricated criminal cases, torture, and the situation of women in Russian prisons during the era of Vladimir Putin.

Tatyana Sukhareva describes how the Russian law enforcement system works from the inside: the methods used to obtain statements needed by the prosecution, the treatment of detainees and prisoners, and how the requirements of the law can simply cease to apply once a person finds themselves on the other side of prison bars.

The book is based on the author’s personal experience. While preparing to run for the Moscow City Duma, Tatyana Sukhareva had no idea that a criminal case was being fabricated against her. On the very day she was supposed to receive her candidate certificate, she was arrested by the police. The arrest resembled a forceful raid. She then spent eight months in the Pechatniki pre-trial detention center and five months under house arrest.

A separate part of the book is devoted to women’s prisons — everyday prison life, its unwritten rules and relationships among prisoners, as well as the violence and abuse of power that women face in detention.

This is more than an account of what the author experienced. She explains what an ordinary person with no connection to the criminal world can do if they suddenly find themselves alone against the Russian police and prison system, and how they can try to protect themselves from unlawful actions by law enforcement authorities.

All events described in the book are real. Some names have been changed; in some cases, social media usernames are used.