The process has begun to transfer the WNBA All-Star to a Russian penal colony, her legal team in Russia announced Wednesday in Moscow to ESPN, a move her camp has feared since her August conviction on drug charges. A lengthy appeal for Griner was rejected on October 25, opening the possibility that she could be transferred from her previous prison in Moscow to the much harsher conditions of a penal colony, where inmates are forced into hard labor and often abused. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in August. The transfer reportedly began on Friday, a day after US embassy officials met with Griner. Her lawyers reportedly said such transfers usually take weeks or months, so the move appears to have come much earlier than usual. Those lawyers say they no longer know where she is, as notification of her final destination comes by physical mail and can take up to two weeks to arrive. Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, released a statement to ESPN asking for public support: “Our primary concern remains BG’s health and well-being. As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we are asking for the public’s support in continuing to write letters and express his love and take care of her.” It remains unclear how the move will affect Griner’s release negotiations between US officials and Russia. The US is believed to have offered convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout a 2-for-1 deal for Griner and fellow American prisoner Paul Whelan, but Russia apparently demanded more in one of the most high-profile prisoner exchange standoffs in recent history. Bill Richardson, a former New Mexico governor turned diplomat who specializes in such matters, says it will likely take a 2-for-2 deal for Griner and Whelan to return home.
The White House reacts to the transfer of Brittney Griner
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement confirming the Biden administration’s commitment to return both detainees: The story continues Every minute Brittney Griner has to endure in illegal detention in Russia is a minute too long. As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony. As we have said before, the US government has made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and unjust detentions of US citizens. In the following weeks, despite the lack of good faith negotiations by the Russians, the US government continued to monitor this offer and suggest alternative possible ways forward with the Russians through all available channels. The US government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia — including fellow wrongful prisoner Paul Whelan. Russia moving forward with Griner’s sentence on a fast-track basis could be a negotiating tactic, and ESPN noted that officials believe the country is more likely to negotiate in good faith after Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, as the Vladimir government Putin wouldn’t want to give President Joe Biden a nod at such a critical time. Hard conditions likely await Brittney Griner in a Russian penal colony. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
