Stars in graves

From the author

Kutaisi is a small city located in the western part of Georgia. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, he was the birthplace of Georgian thieves in law. A thief in law is the acquired title in the USSR (subsequently in Russia and the CIS countries), indicating that the criminal element has significant authority in the corresponding circles. The title has no analogues in world criminal practice. Thieves in the law from Kutaisi have always been the most influential.

After the death of the thief, the associates erected a monument to him or laid a large plate in the cemetery. The graves of thieves in law are distinguished by impressive sizes and sometimes symbols (for example, thieves' stars or a nickname of a thief instead of a real name on a plate or monument), which helps to determine the grave as belonging to the thief.

These graves symbolize the recent absence of strong statehood in Georgia.

This phenomenon is very interesting because people who violated the law were awarded monuments, while many Georgian cultural figures are buried under very modest slabs. Thieves' burials remind of the recent past of Georgia, when thieves kept the entire population in fear, but enjoyed more authority than political leaders. These graves also symbolize the recent absence of strong statehood in Georgia.

I traveled all over Kutaisi and suburban zones in search of the graves of the most influential thieves in law.

Despite the fact that it is a crime to recognize yourself with a thief in law, new thieves' graves from time to time appear in Kutaisi cemeteries.