WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February, has been moved to a Russian penal colony. Griner’s Russian legal team announced the move Wednesday and noted that neither they nor Griner’s family are aware of exactly where she will be taken.
Quinn added that the lawyers told him transfers can take “weeks or months.”
Griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She appealed, but the conviction was upheld, prompting United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call it “another failure of justice, compounding the injustice of her detention.”
In the midst of the midterm election results, President Joe Biden shared his thoughts on the situation while sending an important message to Russia.
Biden wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to be “more willing” to discuss a prisoner exchange.
“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 said.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral WNBA stories via Google! Follow Us
U.S. officials consider Griner to be unlawfully detained.
Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time WNBA all-star. She had been in Russia to play with a Russian Premier League women’s team which she had been doing since 2014.
The U.S. has proposed an exchange for Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Paul Whelan, for a convicted Russian arms dealer imprisoned in the U.S., Viktor Bout. So far, nothing has progressed.
Despite the lack of success thus far, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the government continues to work to bring Griner home:
“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long. 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.”
The 32-year-old Griner is widely regarded as one of the best women’s basketball players in the world, having earned eight WNBA All-Star selections, two WNBA scoring titles, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and one WNBA championship.
We continue to pray for her safe return.
