Brittney Griner is seen working in a Russian penal colony in new video footage. The footage shows, the WNBA star inside a warehouse at the IK-2 female penal colony in Mordovia. According to PEOPLE, Griner, 32, moved to the penal colony in mid-November.
According to ESPN, Griner’s size prevented her from performing assigned jobs for the women at IK-2, and because of that, Griner “carried fabric all day.” And while she was in prison, Griner decided to cut her hair. which was a surprising move because she is known for her long hair.
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“It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Griner’s lawyer, Marina Blagovolina, told ESPN. “She should have waited until New Year’s Day.” Blagovolina told PEOPLE that the transfer to Mordovia’s penal colony was “a very challenging period for her” which had Griner “very stressed.” Griner was released from the penal colony on Thursday in a prisoner swap that was signed by President Joe Biden. She arrived in the United States on Friday morning.
“These past few months have been hell for Brittney and for [Cherelle], and her entire family, and all her teammates back home,” Biden said in a press conference on Thursday. “People all across the country have learned about Brittney’s story, advocated for her release, stood with her throughout this terrible ordeal. And I know that support meant a lot to her family. I’m glad to be able to say that Brittney is in good spirits. She — she’s relieved to finally be heading home. And the fact remains that she’s lost months of her life, experienced a needless trauma, and she deserves space, privacy, and time with her loved ones to recover and heal from her time being wrongfully detained.”
Griner was arrested in Russia in February on drug smuggling charges. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Griner was in Russia to play with the Russian premiere league during the WNBA off-season. She has been playing with UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014 and helped the team win three Russian National League championships. Griner is a member of the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and led the franchise to a league title in 2014.
