Brittney Griner's appeal on her nine-year prison sentence in Russia has been rejected, and so she is now heading to a penal colony where she will have to spend her sentence if the USA were to fail to get her out. Hope is not lost about her release since prisoner swap talks between the USA and Russia continue, though Kremlin did reiterate its previous warning when it comes to negotiations.
After Griner's prison sentence last August, Russia said that they are open to the prisoner exchange idea. However, Kremlin warned the USA against publicizing the issue and the talks they would have.
Per Associated Press, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov doubled down on that warning and told reporters on Wednesday, “we always say that any contacts about possible exchanges can only be conducted in silence under a tight lid on any information.”
With that said, it is entirely likely that there won't be a lot of updates when it comes to the USA's efforts to get Brittney Griner released through a prisoner swap.
For what it's worth, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Tuesday that they are also doing everything they can and coordinating with the White House to help in Griner's case.
“We’ve had direct conversations with the White House, with the State Department,” Silver shared. “You heard opening night, Steph Curry spoke out about her incarceration. To be quite honest, we’re doing everything we know available to us at this point, which is to continue to raise her profile and have direct conversations with the U.S. government at all levels. But beyond that … I’m not sure what else we could be doing right now.”
It has been reported by US media outlets that Russia's penal colony system are known for violence and abuses, so Griner's prison time and condition inside jail are to raise more concerns. Unfortunately, fans, athletes and everyone else can only raise awareness, wait and hope for the best when it comes to her release.
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