Brittney Griner was recently moved to the IK-2 facility in Russia’s Mordovia. Ever since her detainment, people have been worried that she might be moved to one of these labor camps because of its brutal conditions. Multiple former prisoners have revealed the harsh conditions of these penal colonies. So many fans urged the U.S. State Department to bring her back as soon as possible. Recently, more details about the gruesome conditions of these facilities are surfacing.
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As per reports, there are around 800 women prisoners in the IK-2 penal colony where Griner has been housed. While prison cells are reserved for most violent criminals, everyone else stays in dormitories. Reportedly, the overpopulation violates the Russian standard of 21 square feet of space per person.
Brittney Griner is at a crowded facility
According to reports, ?In most prisons, the state of repair and the overcrowding make it difficult to maintain basic hygiene.?
?This leads to regular outbreaks of epidemics,? the report added.
This could potentially be a huge risk for Brittney Griner and the rest of the inmates. Earlier, there were reports of prisoners suffering from poor nutrition due to the rancid food provided by prison staff. The report claimed rotten food was usually provided to the prisoners of these penal colonies. Also, there were reports of homophobia and violence among inmates.
The reports disclosed several other details about the penal colony. The inmates are provided breakfast at 6 a.m., after which they are forced to hard labor lasting up to 17 hours a day. In fact, sleep-deprived workers are pushed to their limits by unrealistic production quotas.
Insubordination, refusing to work, or not working enough could lead to serious punishments. The inmates are fed dinner by nightfall and are allowed one hour of free time before bed.
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Prisoner swap discussions
The efforts of the government to bring Brittney Griner back to the country have not come to fruition. However, the two countries are in continuous negotiations about a prisoner swap reportedly. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disclosed on Sunday that U.S. and Russia are reportedly actively engaged in a possible prisoner swap.
The government is trying to bring back both Griner and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan. However, there were reports that suggested Russia wants a one-to-one prisoner swap. When Blinken was asked about it, he declined to answer. He also refused to talk about any more details about the negotiation.
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This update from Blinken came days after a statement from a Russian spokesperson asking everyone involved to be silent about the prisoner swap discussion. The spokesperson stated that publicly disclosing the details of the deal is unnecessary.