Two weeks after the rejection of his appeal, thus the confirmation of his nine-year prison sentence in Russia, Brittney Griner was transferred to a penal colony, her lawyers told ESPN.
The player left her cell in Moscow on Friday, the day after a visit from the American embassy and two days after seeing her lawyers, without the latter or the American authorities being informed. Everyone heard the news on Tuesday.
Neither her lawyers nor her family now know where she is or where she will continue to serve her sentence. But Griner’s relatives feared such a transfer because the conditions of detention in a penal colony are much less favorable than those she has known in the Russian capital since her imprisonment in February.
“Every minute that Brittney Griner has to endure unjustified detention in Russia is a minute too long”said Karine Jean-Pierre, spokesperson for the White House. “While the administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has asked the administration to pressure her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure. in a penal colony. »
