Armavir Prison, Armenia

Armavir Prison – Armenia's declaration of war on gangster culture. Once, inmates in Armenian prisons fell into the hands of the "Thieves in Law"- a criminal brotherhood rejecting state authority and living by its own code. They control the prison and control drug trade and smuggling. Nobody knows their leaders, but their power is immense. Armavir prison is the first attempt at limiting their influence by locking them into dedicated cell blocks to protect the other prisoners. Georg Avangyan is afraid. He's in trouble with the "Thieves in Law." Smuggled goods were found in his cell several times. This time, it was a kitchen knife. He's not afraid of the prison management but rather of the brotherhood's power. The "Thieves in Law" expect more cell searches and send a signal to Georg's co-inmates: they are to teach the repeat offender a lesson. Panicking, Georg had himself voluntarily locked in a single cell. He may be imagining it all, though. His cell block was considered safe from the brotherhood. Arsen Artstruni prefers to avoid the criminal subculture. He has been in prison for over 20 years. He ordered a double murder as a terrorist in the 1990s and was sentenced to death for it. He didn't see the sun during the first 8 years. While his punishment was converted to life in prison, he has no idea if he will ever be released. He hasn't lost his will to live, though. Arsen is the first Armenian prisoner with a university degree in psychology.