We were taken in secret to this hidden detention centre in a former Soviet republic in Asia. About twenty women are detained here in secret and with no communication with the outside. Some are due to be put on trial but no date has been fixed.
They all seemed to be in reasonable health despite the strict regime. All the guards who deal with the women are female. A few spoke English or other European languages.
We interviewed prisoner A. She was a tall thin woman who spoke English. She was brought into the interview room fully covered from head to toe in green army uniform with a large heavy hooded army parka totally concealing her face. She wore heavy leg irons and had her hands handcuffed in front of her. The guards sat her at a table in front of us and one undid the hood of the parka. This revealed her face covered by an SAS style knitted balaclava and a leather gag strapped across her mouth. Reluctantly a guard undid the gag.
The woman said she was in good health and well treated. She said she was always chained hand and foot often gagged and blindfolded by the parka hood for long periods. This didn't sound like good treatment to us but the woman said you get used to it and even enjoy it. She was soldier and had to accept some rough treatment if she was caught. She said they were fed and exercised outdoors even if wearing hoods and chains. They were not treated much differently to the local women. We were taken on a tour of the building a fifties Soviet barrack block. The cells were steel bar cages so the women did have some contact with each other. They tapped morse code to each other if they were gagged. Most of the cells contained a woman prisoner dressed as our interviewee. All were gagged and hooded. Some were lying chained to their cell bunks . Others were chained standing or sitting against the wall.
The guards stated their treatment was no worse than the men's.
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