MadameNoire Featured Video

RUSSIA-US-DIPLOMACY-BASKET-COURT

Source: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / Getty

 

Detained basketball star Brittney Griner has been moved from her detention center in Moscow and will be transferred to a Russian penal colony to begin serving her hefty prison sentence for drug smuggling and possession. The 32-year-old athlete’s legal team confirmed the difficult news on Nov. 9, according to NPR.

 

The location of Brittney Griner’s penal colony remains unknown

In a statement, lawyers for the former Phoenix Mercury player said that they did not have any information on the “exact” or “current location” of Griner’s “final destination.” In accordance with Russian law, state officials are expected to notify the U.S. Embassy and Griner’s legal team about the exact details of her location upon arrival, the outlet noted.

Griner’s transfer won’t be a quick process either. It can take anywhere from several weeks to months for her to be moved to the facility, her legal team said. Due to the slow transfer, Griner’s family may not be able to contact her for a while. “Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received,” her law team added, according to ESPN.

Now, officials worry how Griner will fare carrying out her hefty prison sentence at the penal colony. Russia’s remote prison facilities are notoriously known for having harsher conditions, a vast difference from the Moscow jail the Houston native was previously detained in February.

Griner’s transfer comes just weeks after Russian court officials rejected her conviction appeal. During the trial, judges presiding over the Olympic gold medalist’s case upheld the ruling, but they did, however, recalculate the time Griner is required to spend behind bars. Instead of nine years, the basketball champion will now serve around eight years in prison, MADAMENOIRE previously reported.

 

White House officials are still in talks to trade Griner

In the interim, White House officials are scrambling fast to bring Griner home.

“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement early Wednesday morning.

“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.”

In June, U.S. officials said they were in “serious” talks with Russia to trade Griner, but they have yet to receive a legitimate counteroffer, ESPN noted.

“In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels,” White House officials said in a statement Wednesday.

“The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia.”

The fight for Brittney Griner’s freedom continues.

 

RELATED CONTENT: Brittney Griner Wishes Wife ‘Good Luck On The Bar Exam’ As Her Trial In Russia Resumes

 

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN