Brittney Griner Sent to Penal Colony

Brittney Griner has been sent to a penal colony to begin serving her sentence after 0.7 grams of THC was found in her luggage. Her family and attorneys do not currently know where she is, as Russian authorities often transport prisoners without letting their associates and family know anything. Inmates and human rights watchdogs have described penal colonies as identical to their predecessors, Soviet gulags.

Brittney Griner has been incarcerated for over 265 days since her detainment at Sheremetyevo Airport in February. Her arrest resulted in a nine-year sentence for the “large-scale transportation of drugs,” which was upheld by a court in October. There is a possibility that this sentencing and arrest is as a result of some sort of bigotry, as a graphic has surfaced comparing Brittney Griner’s situation to that of a white woman, Audrey Lorber, who had 19 grams of THC at the time of her arrest and received only two months of jail time.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says, “Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long. 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.” She continued, “The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia—including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.”

Despite not having any information on where she is, Griner’s family and attorneys continue to fight for her, with Cherelle Griner saying at Glamour‘s Woman of the Year Awards, “I know today deep down in my soul that BG is a strong human being, but she’s 100% not OK. And there’s honestly very little that I can do about it in my own strength to ease her pain, but I’m gonna continue to try.”