Wisdom Quarterly; Shaun Walker in Moscow, The Guardian, 9-23-13
 |
| Pussy Rioter describes conditions like Soviet-era Gulags in Prison Colony No. 14 (AP). |
 |
| Why I am on hunger strike |
When 16,000 California unattractive inmates launched a hunger strike, the mainstream media yawned. What will happen when one attractive woman does the same?
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova says she is made to work up to 17 hours a day and has had death threats from prison deputy.
A jailed member of the punk band Pussy Riot
has launched a hunger strike to protest against slave-like living
conditions and an alleged death threat from the deputy head of the
prison where she is serving her two-year sentence.
 |
| Pro-Pussy Riot American protesters (scpr.org) |
Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova has written a long letter detailing life inside prison
colony No. 14 in the Russian region of Mordovia, revealing appalling
conditions reminiscent of the Soviet Gulag system.
As part of her
punishment she has to sew police uniforms, and she writes in her
statement that all the prisoners in her sewing division are expected to
work 16 or 17 hours a day, starting at 7.30 am and not finishing until
after midnight.
"In the best case scenario we get four hours of
sleep per night," writes Tolokonnikova. "We get a day off once every six
weeks. Almost all Sundays are work days. Prisoners are forced to write
requests to work on weekends saying it is their own voluntary decision."
Tolokonnikova
was convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for her part
in an impromptu Pussy Riot performance in Moscow's largest cathedral in
February last year. The group, wearing balaclavas, mimed a song calling
on the Virgin Mary to "kick out Putin"... More
No comments:
Post a Comment