Brittney Griner has finally reached the infamous penal colony located in the far-off region of Mordovia. The WNBA star’s nine-year sentence is set in motion as she adjusts to a seemingly horrifying environment. Meanwhile, the US authorities continue to negotiate a prisoner swap deal for Griner and retired US marine Paul Whelan with their Russian counterparts. Amid the fears of brutal conditions and forced labor, Russian journalist Zoya Svetova gave an insight into the atrocities BG might deal with in Mordovia.

Svetova is a human rights defender. She was formerly associated with a state-backed prison surveillance organization called the Public Monitoring Commission. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Svetova laid out the horrors Brittney Griner might face inside the IK-2 wing of the Mordovian penal colony in Yavas.

Journalist reveals the challenges Brittney Griner might face at IK-2

Svetova stated that women convicted of murder, assault, and drug-related crimes are sent to the IK-2. She claimed to have received multiple reports of women being assaulted by fellow inmates in the penal colony. The Russian journalist also shed some light on the cruelty of the wardens and poor medical facilities in the IK-2 colony.

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Further, Zoya Svetova said, “The women’s colonies are all served by one hospital, which we were previously notified lacked basic medicines.”

She reckoned that the IK-2 penal colony that houses over 800 inmates had just one hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital also lacked the adequate facilities required to treat the inmates. 

Elsewhere, former inmates of the facility have also talked about the inhumane conditions and horrible food. Inmates are forced to work for up to 16-17 hours a day with symbolic pay. Thus, Griner is likely to be forced to sew uniforms for the Russian police and army like all the other inmates.

Mordovia’s penal colonies

The prison colony is located around 300 miles southeast of Moscow. The facility is believed to be a descendant of the Soviet Union’s Gulag system. Moreover, Mordovia is infamous for its isolated forced labor camps under former Premier of the Soviet Union Josef Stalin. The region has over 15 penal colonies, including the IK-17 facility where Whelan is being incarcerated since 2018. Notably, the IK-2 is an all-female facility for first-time offenders.

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Thus, Brittney is expected to have some tough times in the penal colony. Her only hope relies on the hands of the State Department. The US authorities have been working tirelessly to secure her release as part of a prisoner swap deal. Incidentally, the Russian side has recently displayed enthusiasm for a potential swap deal. However, the details of such a deal and its possibility are still unknown. Hopefully, the two countries will reach a deal and Griner will return home soon along with Paul Whelan.