“Gestapo methods”: political prisoner Iryna Danylovych asks European Parliament to stop torture in russian colony she is being held in

Citizen journalist and political prisoner Iryna Danylovych has appealed to the Vice President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, with a request to draw attention to the mass abuse in the russian women’s colony in the city of Zelenokumsk, where she is being held.

The respective appeal was passed on by her relatives, ZMINA reports.

Danylovych reported that the administration of women’s colony 7 in Zelenokumsk, Stavropol Krai, creates “endless hell” for the prisoners.

According to her, the colony does not turn off the bright light, which causes headaches and makes it impossible to sleep. Equipment is played at an extremely loud volume for several hours every day right in the barracks. The latter is very exhausting for the political prisoner, as she has an ear infection that is not being treated effectively in the colony.

“Even blindfolds don’t save us,” Danylovych notes regarding the constant light.

In addition, according to Danylovych, women are forced to stand outside for hours in the rain or frost, which she considers a form of torture.

Danylovych asks Pina Picierno to bring these facts to the attention of the European community and draw attention to the situation of women in russian prisons. The Vice President of the European Parliament has repeatedly expressed her support for the imprisoned journalist.

“I ask you to make this public. I ask everyone who cares to express their position,” says Iryna.

She also called on the russian Human Rights Commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, to stop the torture and violations of the rights of imprisoned women in Zelenokumsk.

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Iryna Danylovych is a nurse and public activist from Feodosia (Crimea), who has collaborated with the INzhyr Media publication and the human rights project Crimean Process. The woman defended the interests of medical workers on the peninsula: she joined an independent trade union. She wrote extensively about violations of their rights, including underpayments for working with COVID-19 patients. She also maintained a page on social networks and several blog columns dedicated to the rights of medical workers and healthcare problems in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

FSB officers kidnapped her on April 29 and held her in the FSB basement until May 7 without any status or legal assistance. She was interrogated using a polygraph, subjected to psychological pressure: they promised to take her to the forest, to Mariupol, and fed her once a day. She also stated this in the illegal “court” in Feodosia.

Despite the outrage of the international human rights community, on December 28, 2022, the Feodosia City Court announced the verdict against Iryna Danylovych. For allegedly possessing explosives, she was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of RUB 50,000.

Recall that Danylovych suffers from severe headaches, as she is suspected of having acute inflammation of the middle and inner ear. There is a threat of brain inflammation, which could lead to death, but she is not receiving normal treatment.