The Life for Political Prisoners Caught in Putin’s Crackdown

From an AP story by Dasha Litvinova headlined “Inside Russia’s penal colonies: A look at life for political prisoners caught in Putin’s crackdown”:

When Alexei Navalny turns 47 on Sunday, he’ll wake up in a bare concrete cell with hardly any natural light.

He won’t be able to see or talk to any of his loved ones. Phone calls and visits are banned for those in “punishment isolation” cells, a 2-by-3-meter (6 1/2-by-10-foot) space. Guards usually blast patriotic songs and speeches by President Vladimir Putin at him.