Brittney Griner Transferred To A Russian Penal Colony
Brittney Griner, Olympian and WNBA star, has been transferred to a Russian penal colony after being convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to 9 years.
According to CNN, Griner’s lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement that the WNBA star is now on her way to a penal colony.”
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” the statement read. “In accordance with the standard Russian procedure, the attorneys, as well as the US Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination. Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received.”
Russian labor camps have been described as “notoriously harsh.”
Earlier this week, State Department spokesman Ned Price said officials met with Griner and promised they are pushing for her release.
In February, the WNBA player, who had been playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg in Russia, was arrested by the Russian Federal Customs Service at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow. Agents said they found hashish oil vape cartridges in her luggage. According to The Washington Post, she was charged with transporting a “significant amount,” or 0.702 grams, of cannabis oil. Griner’s arrest came amid tension escalating over Russia invading Ukraine.
Griner pleaded guilty but argued in court that she did not intentionally put the cartridges in her luggage and packed them in haste. In a written statement, her defense presented evidence that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain. However, on Aug. 4, the WNBA star was convicted and sentenced to 9 years for drug smuggling.
Griner attempted to appeal her nine-year prison sentence for drug smuggling and was rejected by the Moscow Regional Court. Last month, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, told CNN that he’s “cautiously optimistic” Griner will be released by the end of this year. Richardson has met privately with senior Russian officials, who are close to President Vladimir Putin, through his organization, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement.
