Political prisoner Alena (name is changed) was in a pre-trial detention center for several months. She saidwhat helped her to survive there.
“In this center, you learn to make the bed in an unrealistic and inadequate way, to wash the floor squatting without a mop, to take a “shower” from a bottle over the toilet hole, to eat absolutely all the horrible food that is offered, to sleep on the floor/concrete/bench/in a paddy wagon. You can survive in a prison if you have two things: a bottle and a big mouth. Even if you don’t have a bottle, you can get it thanks to the second one.
I had my evening spa treatment. After the inspection, I went to wash up. When I was clean, I sat down on the bed and smeared all the accessible body parts with cream, lips – with hygienic lipstick, combed my hair for 10 minutes, changed into clean clothes. There was a lot of different food when you sit with political prisoners. What pleased me the most was the opportunity to share let’s say tea in the evening with a cellmate, to talk, to play something.”
