Pressure on Biden mounts as Britney Griner is sent to Russian colony

After losing the appeal in court and confirming the nine-year prison term Britney Griner was transferred to a Russian colony, in the outcome of the court case in which Griner was involved in February, in Russia. US President Joe Biden hopes, however, that there will be some opening from Russia for a more serious discussion about an eventual prisoner exchange.

After sentenced to nine years in prison for possessing cannabis at Moscow airport and having her appeal rejected by the Russian justice system, Britney Griner was transferred to a colony (the name for Russian prisons, many of them located in remote areas of the country). The announcement came from her legal team, which announced that they do not know the whereabouts of the NBA star, as the transfer is in progress and the establishment to which the American player will be transferred has not been disclosed.

Prisoner transfers can take several days, it is normal that during this period there is no contact with the prisoner. However, one thing is certain, access to the recluse will be conditioned by the location of the colony to which she will be transferred. The basketball player's legal team expects to receive a notification from the Russian services when the transfer is complete.

According to Associated Press, A senior State Department official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said the Russians had not notified US diplomats of Griner's transfer in advance and had not yet responded to questions from the US Embassy about the case. current whereabouts or final destination of the athlete.

Pressure in the White House

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the US midterm elections are over. "My hope is that now that the election is over, Putin can discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange," Biden told reporters at a news conference.

President Biden to @karentravers on Brittney Griner: “My intention is to get her home…I am determined to get her home and get him home safely.” pic.twitter.com/3tpn47R347

- CSPAN (@cspan) November 9, 2022

Diplomatic action gained new urgency with this transfer and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre posted on Twitter that “every minute that Brittney Griner must endure for her unfair detention in Russia is one minute too much”, stressing that “the government of the US has made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and unfair detentions of US citizens.”

Every minute that Brittney Griner must harden wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long.

—Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) November 9, 2022