Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, wrote in an open letter:
‘I will not remain silent, resigned to watch as my fellow prisoners collapse under the strain of slavery-like conditions. I demand that the colony administration respect human rights; I demand that the Mordovia camp function in accordance with the law. I demand that we be treated like human beings, not slaves.’
The political activist is one third of the group who were imprisoned for ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’ after they performed a ‘Punk Prayer’ in a cathedral in Moscow.
The performance, which was quickly shut down by security, was in protest against the Russian Church’s open support of President Putin – who they regard as a dictator.
After being found guilty, the three women (Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich) were sentenced to two years in prison.
Tolokonnikova is serving her sentence in Penal Colony 14 in Mordovia, where she says prisoners are forced to work up to 16 hour days sewing, with a day off only once every six weeks.
'I demand that we be treated like human beings, not slaves.’
She also spoke out about the unofficial punishments at the camp, which include loss of hygiene privileges (where prisoners are banned from going to the bathroom or washing), and being banned from going inside until nightfall – which resulted in a woman having to have her fingers amputated due to frostbite on one occasion.
Tolokonnikova wrote: ‘Complaints simply do not leave the prison. The only chance is to complain through a lawyer or relatives. The administration, petty and vengeful, will meanwhile use all of its mechanisms for putting pressure on the prisoner so she will see that her complaints will not help anyone, but only make thing worse. They use collective punishment: you complain there's no hot water, and they turn it off entirely.’
'I will not remain silent, resigned to watch as my fellow prisoners collapse under the strain of slavery-like conditions.'
Dozens of celebrities have spoken out in support of Pussy Riot, including Stephen Fry, Madonna and Sting. Human rights charity Amnesty international described the group as ‘prisoners of conscience.’
Signing off her letter, the mother of one stated she will continue to starve herself until the administration starts obeying the law, and: ‘stops treating incarcerated women like cattle ejected from the realm of justice for the purpose of stoking the production of the sewing industry; until they start treating us like humans.’