Russia: In a penal “colony” the American basketball star who was convicted of drugs

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Inmates in Russian penal colonies work long hours for little pay in tedious manual labor, in very harsh conditions and with little access to medical care.

American basketball star Brittney Greiner – who was sentenced to nine years in prison last August on drug trafficking charges – was transferred 15 days ago to a penal colony in Russia’s Mordovia region, a source familiar with the case told Reuters today.

Russian authorities gave no information on where she had been held for two weeks, but the source said Greiner had been transferred to the IK-2 women’s prison colony in Java, about 500 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

The prison colony is located in Mordovia, in the same region where another American, Paul Whelan, is serving a 16-year sentence in another penitentiary after being convicted of espionage, which he denies.

Inmates of Russian penal colonies are forced to work long hours for meager pay at tedious manual tasks such as sewing. Former prisoners and human rights groups describe conditions there as harsh and unsanitary, with little access to medical care.

Greiner was arrested at Moscow airport last February when e-liquid cartridges containing cannabis were found in her luggage.

At her trial, Greiner – who played during the off-season in the US for a Russian team – said she had used cannabis to relieve sports injuries but had not intended to break the law and had made an honest mistake. packing the cartridges in her luggage.

She had been transferred on November 4 from the detention center where she was held near Moscow to a prison of an unknown location.

Asked about Greiner’s case, a State Department spokesman said: “We are aware of reports of her whereabouts and are in frequent contact with Ms. Greiner’s legal team.”

“However, the Russian Federation has still not provided any official information about such a movement of an American citizen, which we strongly protest. The embassy continues to press for more information about her transfer and her whereabouts at this time.”

Russia and the United States have discussed swapping Greiner and Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, for a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States, but no deal has been reached amid heightened tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

RES-EMP

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