The experience of a Russian penal colony is looking worse by the day.
The female penal colony No. 2 is located in Russia's Mordovia region and was once used as a labor camp.
A member of the musical group "Pussy Riot" who spent two years in a Russian penal colony on "hooliganism" charges says she's terrified for her placement.
"I'm scared that she was moved to IK-2," she said. It is the most severe colony in the Russian prison system.
The notorious IK-14 is a few miles away from where she was protesting. I know every single chief official who works at IK-2 and they all know what kind of torture they use against prisoners.
The facility in Yavas has a capacity of over 800 women. Manual labor for up to 17 hours a day is expected of prisoners.
They are expected to meet high output quota. If they don't meet those standards, they'll be punished, and that includes torture.
She said that a lot of prisoners can't stand it and some of them commit suicide. You're being tortured and going to prison doctors to document the fact that you were tortured, but they don't see anything and are not witnesses of your torture.
"Brittney hides the fact that she is being heavily oppressed in this penal colony, because that's what happened with me, and that's what scares me the most," she said. The whole penal colony is going to suffer because of me, I was told. I didn't eat for a year.
The then-24-year-old decided to go on a hunger strike. A number of the high-ranking officials at her penal colony have been convicted of wrongdoing.
"You never know when you're going to get attacked, so take your time," the musician advised.
"What gives me hope is that prisoners who get some media attention are not getting tortured," she said. I wasn't mistreated. They used physical force against me but didn't beat me. I was not raped by them. Rape occurs in IK-2.
She said that she gained strength from knowing that she had a level of protection that other prisoners don't have. If I could, I would stop working at the sweatshops. If I'm going to follow the rules, then my life is going to be better, but in reality, those conditions are horrible.
The sewing machines are so old that they cause injuries to prisoners. She said that she was forced to sew uniforms for police officers and Russian military officials despite having a needle pierce her finger.
The alternative of solitary confinement is worse than working on a daily basis in slave-like labor conditions.
She had an interview with MSNBC.
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