A thief in law (Russian: вор в законе vor v zakonye; Ukrainian: злодій у законі zlodiy u zakoni; Belarusian: злодзей у законе zlodzey v zakone; Georgian: კანონიერი ქურდი kanonieri kurdi; Armenian: օրենքով գող orenk'ov goğ; Azerbaijani: Qanuni oğru) is a criminal who is respected, has authority and a high ranking status within the criminal underworld in the old Soviet Union and its successor states. Thieves in law are the elite of the Post-Soviet world of organized crime. According to various Russian news sources there exist hundreds of organized units which retain independence in their actions. Estimates concerning the number of "Vory" throughout the world range from several hundred to over 10,000. Thieves in law are drawn from many nationalities from a number of post-Soviet states.
Read more about Thief In Law: Name, History, The Thieves' Code, Tattoos, The Notions, "Petukhi" ("the Roosters"), Notable Thieves in Law, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words thief and/or law:
“A woman hostage
will call a young thief “hero”
and look at him with love,
even if she’s lost her mind with grief
because her family
has been slaughtered.
As far as virtues go,
who can hold a grudge?”
—Hla Stavhana (c. 50 A.D.)
“If he who breaks the law is not punished, he who obeys it is cheated. This, and this alone, is why lawbreakers ought to be punished: to authenticate as good, and to encourage as useful, law-abiding behavior. The aim of criminal law cannot be correction or deterrence; it can only be the maintenance of the legal order.”
—Thomas Szasz (b. 1920)