This month, Brittney Griner was officially moved from her pretrial detention facility to a Russian penal colony, where she will serve her sentence. Her new prison remains mysterious, but disturbing reports are beginning to emerge.
After being found guilty of drug charges in Russia, Brittney Griner faces a sentence of up to nine years behind bars. The United States government has been making efforts. However, they have failed to bring her home, per The Spun.
Former Inmate Shares Her Story
Many of the best players in the WNBA, including Griner, have been spending time playing in Russia. Since they can't support themselves solely on what they earn in the WNBA during the season, many of them choose to round out their income by competing in other leagues around the world.
Previously undisclosed Brittney Griner update on her case was recently revealed by a member of the feminist and performance art group Pussy Riot. Nadya Tolokonnikova, who was incarcerated at the same penal colony as Griner, has recently spoken about her experience being incarcerated there. She discussed everything from forced labor to everyday torture in her interview with MSNBC.
According to rumors, former WNBA star Brittney Griner is currently serving a nine-year sentence in the penal colony IK-2 Mordovia. Former prisoner Nadya Tolokonnikova served a total of two years in solitary confinement. She said the Mordovia prison is "the harshest."
She claimed inmates would be forced to work nonstop for 17 hours a day. Tolokonnikova also mentioned that inmates would face consequences from the authorities if they failed to carry out their assigned tasks, as per a report from Essentially Sports. In addition, there appears to be no access to medical care. Tolokonnikova added in the Brittney Griner update that prison medical officials willfully ignored inmate health concerns.
Nadya said that she fears that Brittney is "hiding the fact that she is being heavily repressed in this penal colony. Because that's what happened with me."
She disclosed that the prison staff pressured her to keep quiet about the abuse she endured. She went on to say that if she did not cooperate, it would be the liability of the other inmates in the colony.
Brittney Griner was transported to IK-2 Mordovia, the WORST penal colony in Russia.
— 𝖕𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖞 𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖙💦 (@pussyrrriot) November 22, 2022
- 16 hours work days
- prisoners sew uniforms for the Russian army and police & getting injured bc of the outdated equipment
- beatings x torture are common
- medical care practically not exist pic.twitter.com/GvXjAOFPAf
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Inhumane Conditions in Russian Prisons
Several former inmates spoke out in the days following the Brittney Griner update on her transfer to the penal colony. Maria Alyokhina, another member of Pussy Riot, likened the prison to a gulag.
While some Russian prisoners were fortunate to be spared the harsh conditions of their confinement, others were not. For example, many people suffer from systematic torture, which can lead to their demise or suicide. A State Department report found widespread and "life-threatening" human rights abuses within the facilities, as reported by The New York Post.
The 2021 assessment indicated: "overcrowding, abuse by guards and inmates, limited access to health care, food shortages, and inadequate sanitation" were prevalent in Russian prisons, penal colonies, and detention facilities.
Daniel Balson, Amnesty International USA's advocacy director for Europe and Central Asia, noted that the situation is even worse in some penal colonies, where inmates are only allowed six phone calls a year.
He said inmates, like Brittney Griner Russia, frequently undergo lengthy van or train rides to remote areas. The hapless captives are typically denied access to food, water, and mattresses during the dreadful travels.
