Griner being moved to Russian penal colony
WNBA star Brittney Griner, whose appeal against a nine-year sentence was rejected by a Moscow court last month, is being moved to a penal colony, her lawyers said Wednesday.
Under Russian regulations, the authorities will only disclose Griner’s location once she arrives at the prison and notification can take up to two weeks to be received, the lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-pierre said the U.S. has continued to follow up with Russia through all available channels on alternative potential ways to secure Griner’s release, despite Moscow’s “lack of good faith negotiation” on an earlier offer from Washington to try to resolve the situation.
President Joe Biden said he was hopeful that now that midterm elections are over, Russian President Vladimir Putin might be more open to negotiating her release.
“My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden told reporters at a news conference.
“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” Jeanpierre said. “As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”
The Phoenix Mercury basketball star who played in Russia during the offseason pleaded guilty to drug smuggling in July after customs officials found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport in February.
Biden called the sentence “unacceptable,” and the U.S. and Russia have been in talks on a possible prisoner exchange involving Griner and another jailed American, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.