Political prisoner, human rights defender, and citizen journalist Iryna Danylovych has appealed to the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, urging her to draw the attention of the European community to widespread abuse in the Russian women’s prison located in the town of Zelenokumsk. Danylovych conveyed her statement through her relatives.
The appeal was directed specifically to Pina Picierno, as she is Danylovych’s mentor and has repeatedly spoken out in her support.
According to Danylovych, the administration of the women’s prison in Zelenokumsk employs methods reminiscent of the Gestapo to create unbearable conditions for inmates. She stated that several hundred women are subjected to so-called “trace-free torture,” including the use of blindingly bright electric lights left on day and night. The lights are so intense that even blindfolds offer no relief. As a result, prisoners are unable to sleep and suffer from constant eye pain.
She also reported that every day, starting at 6 a.m. and continuing for several hours, sound amplification equipment is used at extreme volume in the barracks. This, she said, causes further suffering, particularly aggravating her already inflamed ears. Danylovych compared these practices to those she had read about in historical accounts of the Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi Germany.
Previously, Danylovych had reported on the poor sanitary and living conditions in the colony where she is being unlawfully held by Russian authorities, along with other forms of abuse inflicted on female prisoners by the guards. One such method involved forcing women to stand for hours on the parade ground in harsh weather — whether in the rain or severe frost.
In light of this, Danylovych is calling for these facts to be made public. She also urges those concerned by the situation to voice their opposition to the abuse of women in Russian penal colonies by addressing the Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova.
