INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Jailed Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko delivered her final word in court on Monday, accusing the penitentiary system of abuse and
violence as prosecutors seek to sentence her for allegedly assaulting prison guards.Ponomarenko, 46, was sentenced to six years in prison in
assaulting prison guards later that year.Ponomarenko, who has been diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder, slit her wrists in
court will deliver its verdict in her second criminal case on Thursday, where she faces a two-year sentence
I want to thank everyone who finds the courage to write, to visit, to support those convicted under political charges.I used to have 1% of
doubt, but now I am certain that the Mariupol theater was bombed by Russia
You always want to absolve your homeland, but that 1% has died....I admire young people who already have a humanist stance, but I didn't
It took work on myself, pushing aside selfish interests
I'm often in solitary confinement (SHIZO)
This is my 13th [stint in] SHIZO
I had bruises, but they refused to document them in pre-trial detention.We have so many untouchable officials
what I actually see is how we are decaying
learning to preserve what already exists? Hundreds of thousands of children are killed, and in 90% of cases, by their own relatives
Prison and colony staff see themselves as gods
We never think about removing the root cause of why this is happening
People are broken in childhood, then crushed even further in prison and then they are released into society
And why did they become like this?I've never seen as much violence as I have in jail
Huge orderlies burst in and throw me onto a table chest-down
I bite my tongue so hard it bleeds
They twist my arms behind my back and tie them so tightly that I have scars
I stumble, they punch me in the stomach, kick me, slam me against walls
These are the paramedics of the psychiatric ambulance
They shove me into the ambulance
I accidentally step on the stretcher and they curse at me with the filthiest language
They throw me onto a bench and sit on top of me
At some point, I just black out
This was in Biysk Psychiatric Clinic
The first time was in a psychiatric hospital in Barnaul
need to humanize our penal system
Ordinary people should not be allowed to torment other ordinary people
In fact, there are far fewer politically active citizens in prison
At least they get support
Believe me, every letter you send is felt
I love children very much
Because of the lawlessness, I slit my veins
Before solitary, they took me to the shower
No hot water, only ice-cold
There are no windows in the shower
I started panicking, gasping for air
I laid a plastic bag on the floor and started washing clothes
Then I lost consciousness
When I came to, a crowd had entered, screaming at me to get dressed
There were men, and I was standing there in just a towel
One woman grabbed my arm, right where my stitches were fresh
Now imagine an ordinary prisoner, someone with no outside support, trying to say a word
Now I will be silent for a long three years.I want each of you, when you're about to argue, to remember my words
The main thing is, we are for peace
Everything else is nonsense, trivialities.I apologize to everyone I may have hurt
He knows why.Stop seeing enemies in everyone
Maybe then, enemies will cease to exist.Life is beautiful, despite everything
