Lawyers for WNBA player, Brittney Griner, say she has been removed from a Moscow jail. Griner is now headed to a Russian penal colony. Her legal team announced Wednesday her location is unknown at this time. They say it could take up to two weeks before they know which penal colony she is being sent to. Russian prison transfers can take up to several weeks.
Penal colonies are known to enforce abusive treatment of inmates. They are also known to have overcrowding and harsh conditions, with some being worse than others. Griner is expected to serve her 9-year sentence at one of the penal colonies.
The 32-year-old basketball player has been in a Russian jail since February 2022 after being arrested at a Moscow airport. Customs found two vape cartridges containing THC oil in her luggage. Griner was headed to join the Russian women’s basketball team she plays for during the WNBA’s off-season. The arrest sparked the debate of WNBA players being forced to play overseas due to being paid very little compared to NBA players. Griner pled guilty and apologized for what she said was a mistake. Despite the apology, a judge denied the appeal during an appeal hearing in October.
White House officials have called the decision a “sham.” The White House says it continues in its commitment to work to bring Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan home. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison on espionage charges.
Griner’s lost appeal and transfer to a penal colony means her only way home is either completing the 9-year sentence or the White House administration successfully negotiating her return home.
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