According to her lawyers, American basketball player Brittney Griner, convicted in Russia, was transferred to a prison camp. The 32-year-old woman left the detention center in Moscow on Friday, where she was detained after her arrest, her lawyer Maria Blagovolina said. At the moment, there is no information about his exact location.
Early this morning, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre issued a statement. “Every minute that Brittney Griner has to spend in illegal detention in Russia is one minute too many,” adding that US President Biden’s government “continues to work. tirelessly for their release.” The US government offered a prisoner swap with Russia in late July to secure his release and that of former Marine Paul Whelan.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February with a small amount of hashish and was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Moscow court in early August. He pleaded guilty to the crime but also said he did not intentionally break the law. US officials visited him earlier this month after an appeal against his conviction was rejected by a Moscow district court.