Griner transferred to Russian penal colony

Brittney Griner has been transferred to a Russian penal colony -- a determination her household has dreaded since Griner's August condemnation connected cause charges -- but her lawyers don't cognize wherever she is oregon wherever she's heading, her Russian ineligible squad announced aboriginal Wednesday successful Moscow.

The transportation began Friday, her lawyers said, a time aft U.S. embassy officials visited her and acold up of the docket they had anticipated aft Griner's entreaty was denied Oct. 25. Typically, her attorneys had said, a transportation takes weeks oregon months. Griner's attorneys and U.S. officials were not alert she had been moved until Tuesday.

Griner's household mightiness not cognize wherever she is for immoderate time; according to her lawyers, "Notification is fixed via authoritative message and usually takes up to 2 weeks to beryllium received."

Russian penal colonies are known for having acold harsher conditions than the Moscow jailhouse wherever Griner has been since she was detained successful February.

"Every infinitesimal that Brittney Griner indispensable endure wrongful detention successful Russia is simply a infinitesimal excessively long," White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said successful a connection aboriginal Wednesday morning. "As the Administration continues to enactment tirelessly to unafraid her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail connected her Russian captors to amended her attraction and the conditions she whitethorn beryllium forced to endure successful a penal colony."

Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, besides released a statement, saying Tuesday night, "Our superior interest continues to beryllium BG's wellness and well-being. As we enactment done this precise hard signifier of not knowing precisely wherever BG is oregon however she is doing, we inquire for the public's enactment successful continuing to constitute letters and explicit their emotion and attraction for her."

Colas said her squad remains successful "close contact" with the U.S. authorities and the Richardson Center, a backstage enactment tally by Bill Richardson that works to bring detained Americans home. Both the State Department and Richardson, a erstwhile U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, "are utilizing each disposable resources to find her whereabouts, guarantee her information and bring her home," Colas said.

"We are thankful for everyone's support, and anticipation that arsenic we adjacent 9 months of detention, that BG and each wrongfully detained Americans volition beryllium shown mercy and returned location to their families for the holidays."

Griner's past interaction with anyone from extracurricular the jailhouse was Thursday erstwhile U.S. embassy officials were capable to sojourn her. She past saw her attorneys the time before.

Her household declined to connection a connection precocious Tuesday successful the United States.

Griner pleaded blameworthy to cause smuggling charges successful July. U.S. officials declared successful May that Griner was being wrongfully detained and person called her proceedings and entreaty governmental theater. After an appeals tribunal upheld her condemnation 2 weeks ago, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the determination was "another nonaccomplishment of justice, compounding the injustice of her detention."

U.S. officials person said they made a "serious" connection to commercialized for Griner's state successful June but person not yet received what they see to beryllium a morganatic counteroffer, which the White House reiterated successful its connection Wednesday contempt what it called further attempts.

"In the consequent weeks, contempt a deficiency of bully religion dialog by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to travel up connected that connection and suggest alternate imaginable ways guardant with the Russians done each disposable channels," the connection read. "The U.S. Government is unwavering successful its committedness to its enactment connected behalf of Brittney and different Americans detained successful Russia -- including chap wrongful detainee Paul Whelan."

Officials person said they hoped Russia would beryllium much inclined to negociate successful bully religion erstwhile the Tuesday midterm elections were over, knowing that Vladimir Putin's authorities would not privation to springiness President Joe Biden a imaginable governmental victory.

Griner was arrested astatine a Moscow-area airdrome Feb. 17 portion trying to participate Russia to articulation her nine squad successful Ekaterinburg.

In a statement, her lawyers said, "Neither Brittney's family, including her woman Cherelle oregon her Russian ineligible squad volition person immoderate further statements oregon property availability astatine this time."