Topline
WNBA star Brittney Griner is being transferred to a Russian penal colony after being convicted in August of possessing and smuggling drugs, her legal team said on Wednesday, bleak news for the athlete as relations between Moscow and Washington sour and U.S. officials struggle to secure her release.
Griner is being transferred to a prison colony, her lawyers said.
Key Facts
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is “on her way to a penal colony,” her legal team said in a statement to news outlets on Wednesday.
The athlete was transferred from a detention center outside Moscow last week and her legal team said they do not know Griner’s precise location or her final destination.
It is standard Russian procedure for attorneys and the U.S. embassy to be notified upon her arrival, they said, though this notification is given via official mail and can take up to two weeks to arrive.
Griner is being moved to serve the remainder of the nine-year sentence handed to her in August after she was convicted on drug possession and smuggling charges for carrying a small amount of cannabis oil in vape cartridges, which she said was an honest mistake but pleaded guilty to.
A Russian court rejected Griner’s appeal for a shorter sentence in October.
What To Watch For
Russia’s prison system has a reputation as one of the most brutal in the world and Griner likely faces very tough conditions upon her arrival. The camps are often isolated, overcrowded and unsanitary facilities notorious for their reportedly poor treatment of prisoners, many of whom are forced to perform grueling labor. Reports of physical and sexual abuse from both guards, food shortages and difficulties accessing healthcare are not uncommon. A number of other factors serve to complicate what Griner—a Black gay woman from the U.S. with presumably very little Russian language—will face, and she could face tougher labor owing to her athleticism and stature, according to a CNN source who had spent time in a prison camp.
What We Don’t Know
Even though Griner lost an appeal against her nine-year sentence, there are still avenues for her release. Her case and harsh punishment has sparked outrage in the U.S. Washington has said the government considers Griner to be “wrongfully detained” in Russia and is actively working to secure her release, though souring relations with Moscow over the war in Ukraine have complicated matters considerably. It is possible Griner could be released as part of a prisoner swap with Russia, though talks have yet to yield results and a Putin aide has previously said the matter is not a priority for Moscow.
Crucial Quote
The White House reiterated its condemnation of Griner’s imprisonment on Wednesday morning following the news of her transfer. “Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, adding that the “U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia.” The Biden Administration is working “tirelessly to secure her release” and is pushing Moscow to improve her treatment and the conditions she “may be forced to endure in a penal colony,” Jean-Pierre said.
Further Reading
Griner faces difficult conditions at Russian penal colony, former prisoners and advocates say (NBC News)
How Russia’s new Gulag tries to break convicts like Alexei Navalny (Reuters)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/11/09/brittney-griner-moves-to-russian-penal-colony-as-her-lawyers-warn-they-dont-know-her-precise-location/