Brittney Griner.Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/ShutterstockBrittney Grinerhas been moved to a penal colony in a remote village in Central Russia to serve her nine-year prison sentence, her lawyers confirmed Thursday.The WNBA star, 32, is now at IK-2 female penal colony in Yavas, a small town about seven hours from Moscow, in the Mordovia region.“Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment,” her lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.They said that they were able to visit Griner earlier this week, and added that this is a “very challenging period for her.“Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via GettyGrinerwas arrested Feb. 17 at the Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, with Russian Federal Customs Service charging her with possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil. On July 7, Griner pleaded guilty, saying that she did bring cannabis products into the country — where they are illegal — but that she was packing quickly and did not mean to break the law, and only did so “inadvertently.“The Phoenix Mercury star was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years. After the trial, Blagovolina had called the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” Blagovolina and Boykov appealed the sentence,but on Oct. 25 their appeal was denied, and Griner’s nine years upheld in a Russian court.There is still hope that Griner will bepart of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. In July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration said that they are in discussions with Russia to swap Griner andPaul Whelan, another American imprisoned in the country, for a not-yet-named Russian prisoner held in the U.S.RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner ‘On Her Way’ to Russian Penal Colony, Attorneys SayBlagovolina previously told PEOPLE that as the months and weeks pass with no news about the possible exchange, Griner is increasingly “more anxious and worried.“Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner,told CBS' Gayle King last monththat the events have been playing out “like a movie” to her.“I’m like, in no world did I ever thought, you know, our president and a foreign nation’s president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife,” Cherelle said. “And so to me, as much as everybody’s telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she’s a hostage.““It terrifies me, because when you watch movies, sometimes those situations don’t end well,” Cherelle added. “Sometimes they never get their person back.”
Brittney Griner.Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/Shutterstock
Brittney Grinerhas been moved to a penal colony in a remote village in Central Russia to serve her nine-year prison sentence, her lawyers confirmed Thursday.The WNBA star, 32, is now at IK-2 female penal colony in Yavas, a small town about seven hours from Moscow, in the Mordovia region.“Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment,” her lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.They said that they were able to visit Griner earlier this week, and added that this is a “very challenging period for her.“Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via GettyGrinerwas arrested Feb. 17 at the Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, with Russian Federal Customs Service charging her with possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil. On July 7, Griner pleaded guilty, saying that she did bring cannabis products into the country — where they are illegal — but that she was packing quickly and did not mean to break the law, and only did so “inadvertently.“The Phoenix Mercury star was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years. After the trial, Blagovolina had called the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” Blagovolina and Boykov appealed the sentence,but on Oct. 25 their appeal was denied, and Griner’s nine years upheld in a Russian court.There is still hope that Griner will bepart of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. In July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration said that they are in discussions with Russia to swap Griner andPaul Whelan, another American imprisoned in the country, for a not-yet-named Russian prisoner held in the U.S.RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner ‘On Her Way’ to Russian Penal Colony, Attorneys SayBlagovolina previously told PEOPLE that as the months and weeks pass with no news about the possible exchange, Griner is increasingly “more anxious and worried.“Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner,told CBS' Gayle King last monththat the events have been playing out “like a movie” to her.“I’m like, in no world did I ever thought, you know, our president and a foreign nation’s president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife,” Cherelle said. “And so to me, as much as everybody’s telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she’s a hostage.““It terrifies me, because when you watch movies, sometimes those situations don’t end well,” Cherelle added. “Sometimes they never get their person back.”
Brittney Grinerhas been moved to a penal colony in a remote village in Central Russia to serve her nine-year prison sentence, her lawyers confirmed Thursday.
The WNBA star, 32, is now at IK-2 female penal colony in Yavas, a small town about seven hours from Moscow, in the Mordovia region.
“Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment,” her lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
They said that they were able to visit Griner earlier this week, and added that this is a “very challenging period for her.”
Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty
Grinerwas arrested Feb. 17 at the Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, with Russian Federal Customs Service charging her with possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil. On July 7, Griner pleaded guilty, saying that she did bring cannabis products into the country — where they are illegal — but that she was packing quickly and did not mean to break the law, and only did so “inadvertently.”
The Phoenix Mercury star was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years. After the trial, Blagovolina had called the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” Blagovolina and Boykov appealed the sentence,but on Oct. 25 their appeal was denied, and Griner’s nine years upheld in a Russian court.
There is still hope that Griner will bepart of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. In July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration said that they are in discussions with Russia to swap Griner andPaul Whelan, another American imprisoned in the country, for a not-yet-named Russian prisoner held in the U.S.
RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner ‘On Her Way’ to Russian Penal Colony, Attorneys Say
Blagovolina previously told PEOPLE that as the months and weeks pass with no news about the possible exchange, Griner is increasingly “more anxious and worried.”
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner,told CBS' Gayle King last monththat the events have been playing out “like a movie” to her.
“I’m like, in no world did I ever thought, you know, our president and a foreign nation’s president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife,” Cherelle said. “And so to me, as much as everybody’s telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she’s a hostage.”
“It terrifies me, because when you watch movies, sometimes those situations don’t end well,” Cherelle added. “Sometimes they never get their person back.”
source: people.com
