Great News! Brittney Griner Released from Russian Penal Colony After Prisoner Swap

*Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony. 

Her release came after President Joe Biden was reportedly able to successfully negotiate a with the Kremlin on a prisoner swap, CNN reports. 

Griner was facing nine years in a Russian detention center after being convicted over the summer of drug smuggling charges in the country.  The WNBA star is headed back to the U.S. after being exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

We reported previously that the penal colony where Griner was detained has been described as hell on earth. 

READ MORE: Brittney Griner’s Life ‘Will Be Very Difficult’ Inside Russian Penal Colony | Video

Griner was serving her sentence at the IK-2 penal colony in Mordovia, a prison city in Russia. Per The Neighborhood, citing The Nation’s reporter Dave Zirin, bigotry and homophobia are very common practices in Mordovia. Zirin said he wouldn’t be surprised if Griner was not provided a bed that would fit her 6’8 frame. 

According to The Neighborhood report, whoopings and beatings are common and most prisoners are expected to work 16 hours a day with barely any breaks.

Per MSN, the IK-2 penal colony is located about 300 miles southeast of Moscow, in the isolated republic of Mordovia where it can freezing cold temperatures tend to be year-round.

Griner is now free from the horrors of it all as she is currently in the custody of American officials, a US official told CNN.

Biden is expected to speak about her release today at 8:30 am ET.

 

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