Russia's decision to move an American basketball star from a prison in Moscow to a remote penal colony drew swift condemnation from U.S. State Department officials.
U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken called the transfer of Brittney Griner "another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention" in a Nov. 9 DOS announcement of Griner's transfer.
“Following a sham trial and the unjust sentencing of Brittney Griner, Moscow is transferring her from a prison in Moscow to a remote penal colony," Blinken said in the announcement. "It is another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.”
Griner, a WNBA star player and Olympic gold medalist, is serving a prison sentence in Russia after being convicted for having TCH-oil cartridges in her luggage at a Moscow airport last February, State Newswire has previously reported, when she was arriving into the country to join a Russian basketball team she plays for during the WNBA off-season. Griner was sentenced Aug. 4 to nine years, which her lawyers have called excessive based on convictions in similar cases. When Griner’s appeal was denied by a Russian court on Oct. 25, State Newswire reported that Blinken called the rejection “another failure of justice.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price also denounced what he called Russia's "continued use of hostage diplomacy" in a Nov. 9 post on Twitter.
"Regardless of where Brittney Griner is imprisoned," Price stated in the post, "we will continue working to bring her and Paul Whelan home."
Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage, State Newswire previously reported.
U.S. Embassy officials in Moscow met with Griner on Nov. 3, Price announced on Twitter at the time. He wrote that Embassy officials "saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said embassy officials told the White House that Griner was doing “as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” State Newswire reported. Embassy officials previously spoke with Griner by phone Oct. 18 and with Whelan by phone on Oct. 31, State Newswire reports. The Nov. 3 embassy visit with Griner is the first since August; Whelan has not had an in-person visitor since June 16, the report states.
“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 his statement. "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.”
Blinken said he and other State Department officials are committed to securing the release and return of Griner and Whelan.
“Our hearts are with Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, as well as their family, friends, and supporters, who all continue to suffer from Russia’s decision to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens," Blinken said in the statement.
"We continue to work relentlessly to bring them home. I am focused on doing so, as are so many others in the Department," he said. "We will not relent until they are reunited with their loved ones."
