WNBA star Brittney Griner is being transferred to a Russian penal colony and nobody knows about her current whereabouts. The transfer process began on November 9 after her appeal against the previous nine-year sentence was denied. Now that Griner has exhausted her appeal, the eight-time All-Star is being transferred to an unknown penal colony on the far side of Russia. The process could take a few weeks or even a month.

Unfortunately, BG is set to face some of the toughest challenges during her time in a penal colony. In addition, the fact that she is an American just makes things worse for her. Her American nationality could potentially hurt Griner in two major ways.

After being detained for almost nine months, Griner is finally sent to a penal colony where she would be serving her sentence. The penal colonies are infamous for inhumane treatment of inmates and forced labor. They are believed to be inspired by the Soviet Union’s Gulag system. Moreover, the troubles for Griner as an American citizen will start even before she ends up in a penal colony.

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The long and frustrating transfer process is meant to unsettle the prisoners and spark anxiety. With no access to her lawyers, BG finds herself all alone and lost somewhere in Russia. She will face two major challenges in a Russian prison due to her American citizenship.

The transfer process for Brittney Griner could take a month

?Most of the penal colonies are located in Siberia and the far east side of Russia. As per reports, Griner would spend a lot of time traveling long distances in a crowded train that makes multiple stops. Moreover, being an American citizen the process could turn out to be lengthier and could last up to a month.

Vagan Kasyan, an advocate for Russian prisoners, reckoned that BG’s location will be disclosed after some time as the government is supposed to notify her relatives. Kasyan added,?“But since she is a foreigner, it may take a while.”

Communication would be extremely difficult for Griner

Brittney Griner will be serving her sentence in prison where very few people can understand English. Experts have suggested that Griner will not be allowed to have regular translators unless she is given a rare privilege. Meanwhile, the prison censors will have to review the communications between BG and the outside world. However, most of them do not speak the English language. Hence, she would not be able to make phone calls or send a letter in English.

Therefore, it will be very hard for Brittney Griner to understand or communicate in a Russian penal colony. She is likely to have a tough time living with convicted Russian inmates. In addition, she could face some difficult situations being the only American citizen in the colony.

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Hopefully, the US government will be able to bring her home soon and she would not have to spend a long time in a penal colony.