A British teenager - eight months pregnant and charged with drugs smuggling - is awaiting sentencing in prison in Georgia, South Caucasus. A payment of £137,000 by her family will reduce her sentence but what are the days like for Bella Culley, incarcerated 2,600 miles (4,180km) from home?
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Bella Culley's mother reveals her daughter - now 35 weeks pregnant - has been transferred to a prison 'mother and baby' unit. This marks a significant change for the 19-year-old after five months in a cell in Georgia's Rustavi Prison Number Five, with only a hole in the ground for a toilet, one hour of fresh air daily, and communal showers twice a week.
"She now gets two hours out for walking, she can use the communal kitchen, has a shower in her room and a proper toilet," she says, describing the improved conditions since a transfer earlier this month. "Bella has been making eggy bread and cheese toasties, and salt and pepper chicken."
Miss Culley has been held in pre-trial detention since May, after police discovered 12kg (26lb) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lb) of hashish in her hold luggage at Tbilisi International Airport.
The Georgian Ministry of Justice previously stated conditions have improved, citing new regulations that ensure inmates are allowed outdoor time and access to improved healthcare. However, reports from other inmates describe the conditions as often harsh and unsanitary.
Bella's situation has drawn attention to Georgia's strict drug laws and the societal implications of plea bargain strategies, especially in the case of foreign nationals. As her family raises funds for legal expenses, they remain hopeful for Bella's eventual release before she gives birth.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Bella Culley's mother reveals her daughter - now 35 weeks pregnant - has been transferred to a prison 'mother and baby' unit. This marks a significant change for the 19-year-old after five months in a cell in Georgia's Rustavi Prison Number Five, with only a hole in the ground for a toilet, one hour of fresh air daily, and communal showers twice a week.
"She now gets two hours out for walking, she can use the communal kitchen, has a shower in her room and a proper toilet," she says, describing the improved conditions since a transfer earlier this month. "Bella has been making eggy bread and cheese toasties, and salt and pepper chicken."
Miss Culley has been held in pre-trial detention since May, after police discovered 12kg (26lb) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lb) of hashish in her hold luggage at Tbilisi International Airport.
The Georgian Ministry of Justice previously stated conditions have improved, citing new regulations that ensure inmates are allowed outdoor time and access to improved healthcare. However, reports from other inmates describe the conditions as often harsh and unsanitary.
Bella's situation has drawn attention to Georgia's strict drug laws and the societal implications of plea bargain strategies, especially in the case of foreign nationals. As her family raises funds for legal expenses, they remain hopeful for Bella's eventual release before she gives birth.
