"Men in Norilsk are serving particularly serious sentences, while women are working!": A Krasnoyarsk activist was sent to forced labor in the Far North.
Activist Ekaterina Fatyanova was sentenced in December 2024 to two years of forced labor in a case of repeated discrediting of the Russian army. According to OVD-Info, on May 9, 2023, she distributed the newspaper "Workers' and Peasants' Hammer and Sickle," and the article "Reflections on the Nature of Imperialism" was deemed defamatory by the RF Armed Forces.
Another Krasnoyarsk activist, Olga Suvorova, keeps in touch with her. According to her, even before Ekaterina's arrival at the facility—a correctional center in Norilsk—the women were warned that a woman convicted of "terrorism" would be arriving. Because of this, Fatyanova was avoided for a while, and staff check on her and her room every two hours.
Conditions in Norilsk are harsh. Fatyanova was given only 12 hours (at night) to pack, and her belongings could only be packed in carry-on luggage. The polar day there is currently in full swing, with winter temperatures reaching -62 degrees Celsius (-62 degrees Fahrenheit), and emissions from Norilsk Nickel facilities are constant. While there are correctional centers in Krasnoyarsk, Minusinsk, and Achinsk, women are often sent to work at Norilsk Nickel subsidiaries. Ekaterina Fatyanova attributes the choice of this location to FSB retaliation, Suvorova told NeMoskva.
"They work in practically penal conditions. Ekaterina works in the cleaning service, cleaning one of the dormitories; some of the women work as laborers and at the mine. The prisoners didn't undergo medical examinations before being sent; there are women with HIV who aren't receiving treatment after a stroke," says Suvorova.
She believes that women convicted of non-violent acts under minor charges should not be subjected to such torture. Moreover, the correctional center does everything possible to send the women to prison, Suvorova believes. Three late arrivals are subject to disciplinary action. After that, a sentence of forced labor, up to a maximum of 100 percent, can be reviewed.
Katya has to change trains twice to get to work. That means she doesn't have time to eat breakfast. Norilsk Nickel pays the women the minimum wage, with some deducted for fines and some for upkeep, so it's impossible to buy anything for herself. Everything in Norilsk is incredibly expensive, two to three times more expensive. The food is disgusting: the pasta and grains are all stuck together, and there's no meat or fish, even in the first courses. There's no medical care. The women are having a really hard time, their blood pressure is skyrocketing to critical levels—that's how they acclimatize. Ambulances are coming to someone's home every day.
Suvorova insists that the correctional center in Norilsk must be closed: it was only opened in April of this year.
"Men are incarcerated in the Norilsk prison for particularly serious crimes, while women are in the same conditions for less serious ones. So, they still have children to give birth to! Or, when the Federal Penitentiary Service and Norilsk Nickel have a vested interest, can we keep quiet about demographics and women's rights? If the public remains silent now, they'll open a women's prison tomorrow."
In August, she'll be able to apply for parole. Suvorova says activists will try to get Ekaterina out. For now, she's collecting food parcels for Fatyanova. Only Russian Post accepts them; sending 10 kg costs around 5000 rubles. You can help by calling 2202 2036 7282 3855 or by calling a Sberbank card linked to the phone number +79659000825 (marked Norilsk).
Photo: Olga Suvorova.
