Russia is moving American basketball star Griner
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 JeanPierre 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 directed officials to prevail on Russia to improve conditions Griner may face in the penal colony, she said in a statement.
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.
A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official said in August that negotiations with the U.S. were taking place on a swap deal that includes Griner, Whelan and Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.” Bout has long been the target of Kremlin efforts to release him after the U.S. sentenced him to 25 years in 2012.
When Biden met with the families of the two jailed Americans in September, however, the White House indicated there was little sign that the talks were leading to an agreement.