Report: The Nation’s Dave Zirin Gives Horrifying Details On What Brittney Griner Could Experience At Penal Colony
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After being sentenced to spend nine years at a Female Penal Colony, The Nation’s Dave Zirin gives horrifying details on what WNBA star Brittney Griner could be in store for. The penal colony which Griner has been transported to is located within Russia’s Mordovia region, according to reports from Reuters. Specifically, Griner has been taken to the nation’s Female Penal Colony IK-2, which is located in Yavas.
The area is approximately 300 miles (482.8 kilometers) southeast of Moscow. Griner’s team has remained in constant contact with the U.S. State Department regarding the player’s status. Zirin says that Mordovia prisoners are barely treated like human beings during their time there. While imprisoned, inmates allegedly could experience homophobia, racism, and work as long as 16-hours a day.
Furthermore, Zirin adds that musician Nadya Tolokonnikova told him that acts such as beatings and torture are very commonplace. Tolokonnikova reportedly spent two years in Mordovia after being arrested back in 2012. Penal colonies in Russia have historically attracted attention and concern from human rights activists internationally. The conditions are often described as “tough” and “grim.”
At the colonies, inmates are often housed in barracks, not cells. They are usually put to work, according to reports, and some compare the colonies to labor camps. The journey to get to the colony can sometimes be long and dangerous, with some reports saying it could take up to one month to get there and transportation is typically in a crowded train.
Griner pled guilty to narcotics possession and smuggling charges during her drug trial. Griner acknowledged that cannibis oils were in her luggage, but testified that she had no criminal intent to transport them. She was initially detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after cannabis oil was found in her luggage. Griner attempted to appeal her conviction, but was denied by a Moscow Regional Court.
TMZ has more HERE.
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