US WNBA Athlete Brittney Griner Faces Harsh Conditions in Russian Penal Camp
WNBA athlete Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom after her hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 4. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Newsroom
US women's basketball star Brittney Griner was transferred to an undisclosed Russian penal colony earlier this week over drug charges, as revealed in a statement on Nov. 9 from her lawyers. She is likely to encounter severe conditions at her new location according to the testimonies of other prisoners.
According to Griner’s attorneys, prisoner transfers usually take several weeks and Russian authorities are only required to reveal an inmate’s location once they reach their destination.
Russian penal colonies, located in more remote locations to keep prisoners isolated, tend to subject harsher treatment on prisoners as they are modeled from former gulags or labor camps.
“For 100 women, there are like three toilets and no hot water,” said Maria Alyokhina, a Russian activist who spent around two years in a women’s prison camp. Alyokhina reported the brutal conditions of the camp, noting that bathing is allowed once a week and that all prisoners must perform forced labor. “It’s totally inhuman, it’s a Gulag, and when you feel yourself alone there, it’s much easier to give up,” she told CNN.
Earlier on Feb. 17, Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for possession of a vape cartridge containing less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. The week following her arrest, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, and after two months of detainment, the US government officially declared Griner wrongfully imprisoned.
Griner has been imprisoned for over eight months since she pleaded guilty to illegal possession of marijuana in a Russian court on Aug. 4. She was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison, and an appeal she sent on Oct. 25 was denied in a hearing.
Brittney Griner is seen in jail on a TV screen, waiting to appear in a video link provided by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service. She is broadcasted for an appeal case against her sentence at the Moscow Regional Court in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Newsroom
With the US government's criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some analysts commented that US citizens imprisoned in Russia, such as Griner, could be used as bargaining chips in the war. As tensions continue to escalate between Russia and the US, negotiations over a potential prisoner swap for Griner stalled after an initial proposed deal failed.
However, following the US midterm elections, President Joe Biden announced his hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more open to serious discussions about a prisoner exchange for Griner.
“My intention is to get her home, and we have had a number of discussions so far. And I am hopeful that now that our election is over, there’s a willingness to negotiate more specifically with this,” Biden stated at a press conference. “I’m telling you, I am determined to get her home and get her home safely, along with others, I might add.”
If another potential prisoner swap is offered for Griner, it likely won’t go public immediately as the Russian government previously advised against any public discussions of prisoner swaps after her appeal was denied. “We always say that any contacts about possible exchanges can only be conducted in silence under a tight lid on any information,” said Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov when asked directly about Griner's possible release.
With regards to Griner’s recent transfer, State Department spokesman Ned Price stated that the Russian government failed to inform the White House ahead of time. Price also noted that Russia has not engaged in talks for potential prisoner swaps for not only Griner but also Paul Whelan, another US citizen wrongfully imprisoned in the Kremlin.
In a statement released by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian authorities must follow obligated regular access rules for US embassy staff to visit Griner. Blinken further emphasized that officials from the embassy are in Moscow and are working hard to secure her release.