WNBA star Brittney Griner will be transported from a detention center to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence, reports CNN.
Griner’s legal team said that she “is now on her way to a penal colony,” in a statement.
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” said attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov. “In accordance with the standard Russian procedure, the attorneys, as well as the U.S. Embassy, should be notified upon her arrival at her destination. Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received.”
Last month, Griner lost her appeal to reduce her sentence. She has been detained in Russia since February and was convicted of smuggling drugs into Russia in August.
Griner’s reps said they don’t know where she is or the status of her present condition.
“Our primary concern continues to be BG’s health and well-being,” said Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas. “As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public’s support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described Griner’s transfer as “another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.”
“As we work to secure Brittney Griner’s release, we expect Russian authorities to provide our Embassy officials with regular access to all U.S. citizens detained in Russia, including Brittney, as is their obligation,” Blinken said in a statement Wednesday. “Ensuring the health and welfare of U.S. citizen detainees in Russia is a priority, and we will continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for them all.”
Currently, American officials “continue to work relentlessly to bring home” Griner and Paul Whelan, another American citizen held in Russia, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison after his conviction of espionage. He has maintained his innocence.
“We will not relent until they are reunited with their loved ones,” added Blinken.
Back in July, Griner penned a letter to President Joe Biden about her fears of being locked away in a Russian jail.
"I'm terrified I might be here forever," wrote Griner. "On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year."
