Female political prisoners in Belarus face abuse, humiliation and threats of losing parental rights

Antanina Kanavalava says her four years in a Belarusian penal colony as a political prisoner were filled with a fear and anguish that still haunts her. Denied access to even basic needs like feminine hygiene products, she used rags or whatever she could find amid unsanitary conditions. “Women in prison go through hell and can’t even complain to anyone,” Kanavalava, 37, told The Associated Press after her release in December.