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US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
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US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Brittney Griner is set to face some terrible conditions when she reaches the undisclosed Russian penal colony allotted for her. The WNBA star is currently in exile in Russia for nearly nine months. She is currently being transferred to a penal colony. Her location is still uncertain to her family and US authorities. Recently, a member of the Russian feminist protest group Pussy Riot revealed three terrorizing words that Griner could be subjected to every day in her prison colony.
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Nadya Tolokonnikova spent nearly two years in a penal colony due to her activism against Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin in 2012. She witnessed the atrocities inside the penal colonies first-hand. As a result, she warned Griner of the harsh conditions she might face in prison. Tolokonnikova also gave some insight into the condition Brittney Griner might face inside the penal colony, in a recent interview.
Earlier this year, airport authorities seized cannabis oil in Griner’s belongings in a Moscow airport. Subsequently, she received a nine-year prison sentence under drug possession and smuggling charges. Last month, a Russian court denied her appeal for leniency. Therefore, Griner is now being moved to an infamous penal colony, reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s Gulag system, either in Siberia or far east Russia.
Brittney Griner could face verbal abuse in Russian prison colonies
During a recent CNN interview, Tolokonnikova revealed BG could be forced to work in labor camps for 16 hours a day, sewing police uniforms. She also warned Brittney Griner about witnessing the deaths of other inmates. Deaths are common in such places due to harsh physical labor and lack of appropriate medical facilities.
Moreover, the Pussy Riot member reckoned that Griner might be subjected to some humiliating words from the prison guards. She suggested that the prison guards in penal colonies wake up the inmates each morning using three abusive words in Russian. When translated to English, the three words mean, “Get up, who*es” or “Wake up wh**es.”
"WAKE UP, WHORES"
Describing to @CNN what US basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in Russian labor camp, should expect, and sharing the harsh conditions of colony life.https://t.co/LlFUxIyGdi pic.twitter.com/3NmlG7m3OZ
— 𝖕𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖞 𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖙💦 (@pussyrrriot) November 14, 2022
Moreover, the 33-year-old said that Brittney Griner might also face psychological torture. The guards often use mind games to keep the inmates from staying united.
Griner’s sexuality might cause her problems
Nayda Tolokonnikova further disclosed that Griner’s sexuality could also be a major problem for her in a Russian prison. Tolokonnikova said, “Also Brittney’s queerness can be another reason why prison guards might make fun of her or ridicule her for who she is.”
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Thus, Griner could face some serious atrocities during her time in a penal colony. She might have to keep her spirits high in a condition where even survival becomes very hard. At the end of her interview, Tolokonnikova hoped that Griner would return home soon.
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Edited by
Satagni Sikder