Brittney Griner’s Russian prison described as resembling a ‘gulag labour camp’

If Griner does not win her appeal, the Phoenix Mercury star will serve at a penal colony known for its inhumane conditions.

The news outlet says the prison is similar to a ‘gulag labour camp’ that was operated by the USSR.

One of the worst female correctional facilities in the country is the infamous IK-14 prison, which is located in Russia’s central region of Mordovia.

She detailed that women were forced to work up to 17 hour days with merely one day off every eight weeks.

She added that cats are brought in to hunt down the rats, but as felines reproduce, security guards would discard their offspring in the cruellest way.

"They [the kittens] are collected in a sack and burned in the furnace," Alekseyeva said.

"There is nothing more dear to the inmates than these kittens and cats. But they can also be used for punishment. So, if you sewed badly today then we will burn the cats! They don’t punish one or two people -- they punish a whole brigade."

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges while insisting that she didn’t mean to bring illegal substances into the country and never intended to harm anyone.

She said before the judge: "I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling, that it doesn't end my life here.”

Following her sentencing, US President Joe Biden demanded the release of the Basketball star, slamming her conviction as ‘unacceptable’.