According to her attorneys, WNBA star Brittney Griner is being moved to a Russian penal colony to serve the remainder of her drug smuggling sentence.
In a statement provided to CNN, attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov confirmed that Griner “is now on her way to a penal colony” as of Wednesday, Nov. 9. “We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” the attorneys added. “In accordance with the standard Russian procedure, the attorneys, as well as the U.S. Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination. Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received.”
Griner was detained in February by the Russian Federal Customs Service after they discovered vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is just outside of Moscow. In August, she was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court, and received a sentence of nine years behind bars. Later that month, she and her legal team filed an appeal, which was rejected.
“Our primary concern continues to be BG’s health and well-being,” said Griner’s agent, Lindsay Colas. “As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public’s support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her.”
U.S. government officials have condemned the detainment of Griner, who has repeatedly apologized for transporting a small amount of drugs into the country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the news of Griner’s transfer is “another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added, “Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long."
