In keeping with Brittney Griner’s legal professionals, the Phoenix Mercury star has been moved to a Russian penal colony, a transfer that was began on Friday.
Heartbreaking replace from @mitchellreports: Brittney Griner was moved to a Russian penal colony on November 4. That is one thing her household has mentioned prior to now they had been fearing. Russia’s penal colonies are notoriously harsh with very poor meals and horrible situations.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) November 9, 2022
Griner was detained at a Russian airport on February 17 after she was accused of getting a vape cartridge that contained cannabis oil. Griner pleaded responsible to drug expenses in July. Griner was discovered responsible in a Moscow-area court docket and sentenced to 9 years on August 4.
For a lot of causes, that is horrible information for Griner and her household. First, her household or lawyer has no thought the place she is being moved to as Russian authorities haven’t supplied that info to them. Secondly, Russian penal colonies are identified to have worse situations than Moscow jails.
It is no shock that her household reportedly feared this would possibly occur. Nevertheless, what continues to make this case uncommon is that the transfer appears to be manner forward of schedule. Griner’s lawyer acknowledged that transfers sometimes take weeks or months after Griner’s attraction was denied on October twenty fifth.
US officers are additionally at midnight as they’d no thought Griner was being moved till Tuesday. Here’s a assertion from White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean- Pierre.
“Each minute that Brittney Griner should endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too lengthy,” White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned in a press release early Wednesday morning. “Because the Administration continues to work tirelessly to safe her launch, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to enhance her remedy and the situations she could also be compelled to endure in a penal colony.”
Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas additionally launched a press release in regards to the newest injustice involving Brittney Griner.
”Our major concern continues to be BG’s well being and well-being. As we work by way of this very tough part of not understanding precisely the place BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the general public’s assist in persevering with to write down letters and specific their love and look after her.”
US officers have mentioned they made “critical” makes an attempt at bringing Griner dwelling however haven’t acquired any authentic counter-offers from the Russian authorities. From the beginning, this case gave the impression to be greater than your typical drug conviction. From the unusually harsh sentence to the short switch of Griner to a Russian penal colony, it appears Russia is making an instance out of Griner.
The most effective we are able to do is proceed to speak about this case and Griner’s illegal detainment till she is introduced dwelling and reunited along with her household and family members.
UPDATED (Nov 9, 2022): The article is up to date so as to add the next assertion from the Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Participant Affiliation: