The Joe Biden administration alleges the Russian government only admitted to moving imprisoned WNBA superstar Brittney Griner two weeks after actually transferring her to a maximum-security penal colony for women.
“The U.S. Embassy in Moscow was formally notified by the Russian government of Ms. Griner’s transfer on November 23, more than two weeks after she was moved from a prison in Moscow to IK-2 in Mordovia,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
“We are in frequent contact with Ms. Griner’s legal team and aware that they were able to visit her this week. […] “We continue to call on Russia to live up to its legal obligations to provide the United States timely consular access to all U.S. citizens, including [former United States Marine] Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, so we can provide critical consular assistance.
“We also continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia.”
Griner admitted to bringing a small amount of hashish oil in her luggage while boarding a domestic flight with her Russian Premier League team in January. The Russian government denied her appeal for freedom at the end of October. She is set to serve a nine-year sentence.
President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to freeing Griner after his party’s surprising performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
[CNN; Griner photo from The Arizona Republic, via USA Today Sports]
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