- A leader of the Proud Boys has asked a judge for early release from jail.
- Henry "Enrique" Tarrio told the court that living conditions in the jail are inhumane.
- He said he is served cold food, that his water was shut off, and that a correctional officer slammed him into a wall.
A leader of the Proud Boys has asked a judge to let him out of a Washington DC jail early, saying the conditions are inhumane.
In a court appearance Monday, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio said he has faced abuse, inedible food, unsanitary living conditions, and lack of medical care at Washington DC's Central Detention Facility, The Washington Post and Associated Press reported.
"I've been in jail before, but what I've seen here, I've never seen before," Tarrio told Judge Jonathan H. Pittman via video from jail. "It's insane. It's a gulag."
Tarrio is 70 days into a five-month sentence for burning a Black Lives Matter flag that was taken from a historically Black church during a Washington DC protest following the 2020 election.
In his request for early release, Tarrio asked to serve the rest of his sentence at home or that his sentence be reduced to 90 days.
Tarrio's lawyer, Lucas I. Dansie, told the court that Tarrio's food is "thrown" into his cell cold and inedible, Tarrio's water had been shut off as a "punishment," and at one point, toilet water from a nearby cell flooded Tarrio's cell.
Dansie also told the court that a correctional officer slammed Tarrio into the wall for seemingly no reason, according to The Post.
Assistant US Attorney Paul Courtney and a lawyer for the DC Department of Corrections disputed Tarrio's claims in court and said he should file a lawsuit instead.
Judge Pittman has yet to issue a ruling but one is expected later this week, The Post reported.
"It's obviously distressing to hear of these conditions," Pittman said, adding that Tarrio is not the only prisoner currently facing these conditions, according to The Post.
If Tarrio were to be released, "why isn't everybody else?" Pittman said.
Neither Dansie nor the DC Department of Corrections immediately responded to Insider's requests for comment.
Pittman's office and Courtney's office declined to comment.