On November 23, news emerged in the Russian and international press that Maria Alekhina had been placed in a solitary confinement cell at penal colony 28 in Berezniki near Perm. The exact reason for this will only become clear in the coming days; on November 25, a group of seven supporters from Moscow, including Maria's mother, arrived on site.
Initially, the state news agency RIA Novosti released the following statement:
“Maria Alekhina, a member of the punk band Pussy Riot, who was convicted for the so-called punk prayer in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, was transferred to a solitary confinement cell at her written request due to strained relations with her fellow inmates,” RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing the press service of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia (FSIN).
According to the source, the cell is equipped with everything necessary for a normal stay of the inmate. Alekhina can remain there until she decides to leave the cell or the camp administration believes that she is no longer in danger in the normal camp environment.
“Alechina herself submitted a written request for the transfer to solitary confinement due to the strained relations with her fellow inmates,” the source told the news agency.
The FSIN representative for the Perm region informed RIA Novosti that Alekhina had spent three days in a general unit after quarantine, where between 30 and 100 prisoners are located.
“The woman could not cope with the other inmates and decided to avoid unwanted contacts. She was placed in a so-called 'safe place' within the penal isolation facility. It is a cell-like room with normal conditions, unlike in the penal isolation. There, one can stay indefinitely,” the source said to the agency […].
On the same day, Maria's Perm lawyer visited her in the camp, as reported by gruppa_voina on their Twitter:
“Masha had a strange alleged conflict in penal colony 28, which was peaceful but seemed like a test by the camp administration. Some women suggested that Masha immediately and without reason start a hunger strike and became aggressive when she found that surprising.”
On November 25, gulagu.net commented on the “official version” from the news agency:
“It must be said that penal colony 28 of the FSIN in the Perm region is classified as exemplary. It is a 'red camp,' meaning it is under the complete control of the administration [in contrast to 'black camps,' which are controlled by the inmates – translator's note]. If there have been threats from other prisoners against Alekhina, they must apparently have been sanctioned by the administration. This is also the belief of Dmitry Pronin, head of the Gulagu.net project:
“In red camps, not even a pimple appears without the administration's endorsement,” Pronin says. “If there were conflicts, why is there no information about the measures taken against the others involved in the conflict? Nowadays, there is not a spot in the barracks that is not under video surveillance. I have no doubt that the administration of camp 28 wants to get rid of Alekhina and transfer her to another camp.”
The interest of the camp management is obvious. Maria Alekhina is too famous a prisoner, meaning that journalists and human rights activists will visit the camp, accompanied by staff from the local FSIN. This creates complications. It disrupts the usual routine in the camp. It is better to get rid of such a convict without even taking the initiative.
Vladimir Osetchkin, a member of the human rights council of the Russian president, considers Alekhina's situation alarming:
“She must be urgently transferred to a general department. Because then she can be seen and nothing will happen to her. In solitary confinement, she is absolutely unprotected. All sorts of provocations can happen there. Now that it has become public, I do not rule out that they might try to stage Alekhina's suicide. I have contacted the observer commission and the human rights commissioner of the Perm region, urging them to urgently go to Berezniki. The situation must be brought under control.”
Maria said today in a video call (quote according to twitter gruppa_voina):
“Not all prisoners have warm clothing for outside – the administration does not like me saying such things, hence the test with solitary confinement. No matter where I was taken, at all stages, the regime was always tightened and the rules were at least partially enforced. Many do not like that.”
http://ria.ru/society/20121123/911875762.html
https://twitter.com/gruppa_voina
http://gulagu.net/news/1905.html
