The prisoner turned to God through a gift bag

Touching note found in Yekaterinburg

Sellers of gift sets for women of one of the shops in Yekaterinburg found a note from the convict manufacturer in the package. The man left a touching message in which he asks for forgiveness and repents. The puzzled store owner asked human rights activists whether it was correct to use the labor of convicts.

As it became known to MK, the note was discovered by employees of the gift shop on March 8 while collecting a gift set. She was at the bottom of the package. The text of the note: “Lord God Save my sinful Soul and forgive me my sins. I sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness. Guide me on the true path, strengthen my body and spirit and give me the strength to cope with all difficulties, find a reasonable solution for them. Signature “Zek IK”, number of the colony. Apparently, this is a colony from the Sverdlovsk region, where convicts are involved in the production of various goods, including gift bags. The store’s management turned to human rights activists for advice on how ethical it is to work with companies that cooperate with prisons by placing orders for the production of consumer goods. “Should this be seen as exploitation of the labor of prisoners, or by refusing to cooperate with such companies, we are depriving the prisoners of the opportunity to earn money?” entrepreneurs asked.

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time this topic has been raised. But earlier, the Association of Children’s Goods Industry Enterprises worried about products manufactured in places not so remote. And if in the case of children’s goods there are some doubts, let’s say, about the correctness of their production in IK, then there is no such problem with adult accessories. The note itself can be regarded rather as a positive factor. Moreover, in it the convict did not ask for help, did not report the use of unlawful methods of influence against him, etc., but asked for forgiveness and turned to God.