And you think we have it bad...

I'm still laughing at this one, even though it makes me feel kind of bad. I have a good, old friend who does a bunch of software development and works with a team in Russia (specifically Kyrgyzstan). He's been working with them for a long time, and has several employees.

Olga, who is his manager, and 3-5 (depending on the current project) developers. Basically, he pays for 3/4 of a large apartment, where Olga lives and the other two bedrooms are used for computers and such for the developers. Olga and I talk regularly on ICQ- nice girl, around 24 or so.

Since the background is out, here is what he forwarded me yesterday:

Ted-
Sorry for bad news.

What I was afraid is happened.

The district militia officer came to our apartment by denunciation of our neighbors. Someone told him we have an illegal computer club. The officer made a search and established the fact of presence of 4 computers and the printer. He checked Alexs and Pashas passports. Vadim and I were arrested. We spent 3 hours in the militia office.

They brought the charges against us such as keeping an illegal computer club and, for some reason, propagation of a forbidden religion sect.

They used of our juridical illiteracy and the info they got from our ill-wisher neighbors.

They did not want to listen any our explanation and threatened to put drugs into Vadims pocket and to charge us with holding drugs. I did not expect that way of events.

To stop all that horror I paid them 4,500 as they asked.

I am in shock still.

I am going to change the apartment and register as privately businessman as soon as possible.

I hate Kyrgy militia.

Yeah, I felt bad for laughing, but it is so far out of what I could imagine happening here now, and my personal experience... things that make it helpful to understand the above:

4,500 is like $100 USD
Olga was asked, dare we say told, to go get a business license. She didn't do that, as well, most everyone she knows doesn't do that, because then they don't have to pay taxes & the like. This country is one big pothole, really, since the Soviet Union disbanded. But since she didn't have a license, she basically has no recourse, and the militia knew that. It'd be like going to the cops and complaining your drugs had been stolen.
Olga was scared shitless, and if she knew I'd laughed out loud when I read it, she'd want my head on a stake. Good thing she doesn't know about this blog.
A "computer club" is basically an internet cafe there. There aren't a lot of computers in Kyrgy, it's something for the elite. Money is also a problem. Not a lot of bandwidth either, as it's so expensive... hence, internet cafe's are extremely popular. They're also often the only way for some people to communicate with those outside the country, and lots of people of russian descent got semi-stranded when the soviet union dissolved. Necessary + Popular = heavily licensed & taxed.
She's applying for a license this week :)