Here is a look at what life looks like at Russian penal colonies, and at Griner's prospects of being freed in a U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange.
ARCHIVO - La basquetbolista estadounidense Brittney Griner es escoltada a su salida de una corte en las afueras de Mosc, el 4 de agosto de 2022 – WNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a remote Russian penal colony that human rights advocates say is known for harsh conditions and violent criminals. It's in a region once synonymous with the Soviet gulag.
Here is a look at what life looks like at Russian penal colonies, and at Griner's prospects of being freed in a U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange.Penal colony is a term used to describe the most common type of prison in Russia, where inmates are housed in barracks and engage in menial labor for symbolic pay.
The gulag system and its czarist predecessor, which saw criminals and dissidents dispatched to remote regions of Siberia, provided prisoner labor to develop industries such as mining and logging, and to build highways and railroads. While conditions vary among modern-day penal colonies, Russian law still allows for inmates to be put to work, with most sewing uniforms for the Russian army and law enforcement.
“The women’s colonies are all served by one hospital, which we were previously notified lacked basic medicines,” she said. “I demand that the Mordovia camp function in accordance with the law. I demand that we are being treated like human beings, not slaves,” her letter said.Ulyana Khmeleva, a Russian entrepreneur who spent 11 years in Mordovia’s penal colonies on drug charges that she says were trumped-up, described the facilities as “a moral hell” in a 2019 essay in the Russian independent news outlet Mediazona.
This week, a senior Russian diplomat confirmed that back-channel talks are ongoing between Moscow and Washington.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EXPLAINER: What Griner may endure in Russian penal systemWNBA star Brittney Griner this week began serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
Read more »
EXPLAINER: What Griner may endure in Russian penal systemWNBA star Brittney Griner this week began serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
Read more »
'Trying to Stay Strong': Brittney Griner in Russian Penal Colony in Russian Penal ColonyWNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
Read more »
WNBA star Griner begins serving time in Russian penal colonyThe all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold was detained in February when customs agents said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggag…
Read more »
Griner has begun serving sentence in Russian penal colonyWNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
Read more »
WNBA star Brittney Griner transferred to Russian penal colony in Mordovia regionWNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony, her lawyers and agent said Thursday.
Read more »