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United States: Protests in Folkston
In a US migration prison, where Russians were promised a "cozy Gulag," dozens refused dinner. From several dozen to several hundred detainees could have taken part in a protest against the conditions of detention in the Folkston D. Ray James migration center in Georgia, according to reports from relatives of those held in detention, which "Agentstvo" studied. In the evening of October 5, some of the people held here refused to go out for dinner. Up to five Russians planning to participate in the hunger strike have been sent to solitary confinement. Details. Ksenia Volkova, wife of Andrey Mikhailov, who is being held in the center, called it a hunger strike in conversation with "Agentstvo." Plans for its announcement became known the day before. In some blocks, the hunger strike began with dinner on October 5, Volkova said. According to her, about ten Russians are participating in the action, as well as Latin Americans and people from other countries. At the same time, not all 14 people who signed the collective complaint about the conditions of detention joined the hunger strike. ▪️A source familiar with the situation in the center told "Agentstvo" that initially 50-60 people planned to participate in the hunger strike. However, communication with the detainees is now complicated, so relatives cannot yet establish how many people have actually started the hunger strike. According to the source, the participants discussed the rules for holding the protest in advance. ▪️Inna Sobolevskaya, the civil wife of detainee Alexander Borovkov, conveyed information from correspondence between relatives to "Agentstvo." According to it, the entire L block did not come for a meal, other detainees joined the action, and a total of about 300 people refused food. ▪️One of the Russians, Andrey Mikhailov, notified the center's administration on October 6 about his participation in the hunger strike through the internal appeals system, his wife reported. In a text sent to "Agentstvo," Mikhailov calls the protest peaceful and explains it by the lack of full medical and psychological assistance, poor nutrition, constant lack of sleep, and the inability to see family. According to him, he has been in custody for more than eight months, despite having no criminal record and no violations of the law. "My appeals are ignored. This hunger strike is my only way to protest against these violations and demand fair treatment," wrote Mikhailov. ▪️Several Russians have been sent to solitary confinement. Polina Gerdyukova, wife of detainee Andrey Gerdyukov, reported to "Agentstvo" about four sent to solitary confinement, including her husband. According to Volkova, as of 6 am Chicago time, it was confirmed that five Russian-speaking signatories of the collective complaint had been placed in solitary confinement. Sobolinskaya reported that Alexey Kovalko, who, along with Borovkov, drafted the collective complaint, was also sent to solitary confinement. ▪️An "Agentstvo" source familiar with the situation in detention said that those sent to solitary confinement at the time of isolation had only stated their intention to go on hunger strike, but had not started it. The source links the refusal of some of the free people to have dinner on the evening of October 5 precisely with the sending of detainees to solitary confinement. Context. The day before, "Agentstvo" reported that 14 Russians held in Folkston had drafted a collective complaint about the conditions of detention, and some of them were preparing for a hunger strike. They complained about poor medical care, food, conditions of detention, and prolonged detention. Relatives of the detainees appealed to the authorities and human rights organizations. ▪️Among other things, the complaint reported xenophobic statements by the head of the institution. According to the appeal, he made such a phrase: "Don't worry, we will send you to your cozy Gulag." Illustration: video with detainees in the migration prison and cards with demands that were distributed among relatives. Subscribe to "Agentstvo" on Telegram / mailing list.
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