Brittney Griner, the American basketball player sentenced to jail time in Russia, has moved to a penal colony.
Her team made the announcement on Wednesday. The Russian court system denied her appeal for the nine year sentence she received. The sentence was for drug possession in Russia.
According to her legal team, she was moved from the detention center in Iksha on November 4 and is on her way to a penal colony. Where she is going is not available yet to her legal team.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement about the situation, according to My Twin Tiers.
“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” Jean-Pierre said. “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. As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”
Griner was convicted on Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.
Griner admitted to the canisters, but said she had packed them quickly and had no intentions of committing a crime. During her court case her defense team showed that she had a prescription for cannabis.
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