November 16 () –
The United States Department of State has confirmed this Wednesday that the American basketball player Brittney Griner is in a Russian penal colony, transferred there last week from Moscow by the authorities of the Eurasian country.
However, the deputy spokesman for the State Department, Vedant Patel, has denounced that Russia “has not provided any official notification” in this regard, which is why Washington has transferred its “strong protest” to Moscow, according to .
Patel has not delved into the details about Griner’s whereabouts, although he has remarked that the United States Embassy in Moscow, and the entire diplomatic delegation, is “pressing for more information about the transfer and current location” of the athlete.
Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boikov, both Griner’s lawyers, confirmed last week that Russian authorities had transferred the athlete — sentenced to nine years in prison for drug possession — to a penal colony.
For her part, the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, reiterated at that time Washington’s complaints about what they consider to be an illegal detention by the Russian authorities, and assured that from the United States “they are working tirelessly to achieve your adress”.
The White House has offered to exchange the player and ex-marine Paul Whelan – imprisoned in Russia accused of espionage – for arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “merchant of war”, who is serving a 25-year sentence. prison in the United States, although the negotiations have not been fruitful.
