Nearly nine months after she was arrested, WNBA star Brittney Griner remains in Russia, and it is unclear when she will be able to leave the country.
The Phoenix Mercury center was found guilty on drug charges after customs service officials said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport back in February.
She was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4, though the length of her sentence could ultimately be determined by negotiations on a prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.
After Griner's appeal was rejected on Oct. 25, she was transferred to a Russian penal colony, leaving her legal team and the U.S. government with many questions.
MORE: Brittney Griner detainment in Russia timeline
When was Brittney Griner transferred to a penal colony?
Griner's transfer process reportedly began on Nov. 4. Griner's attorneys and U.S. officials were not aware that Griner had been moved until Nov. 8. Her Russian legal team didn't know where she was going, according to ESPN's T.J. Quinn.
Griner's lawyers added that it could take multiple weeks to find out where she was sent because the notification is typically sent via official mail.
This is not unusual, as the transportation of prisoners in Russia is typically conducted in secrecy, according to Amnesty International.
What is a Russian penal colony?
A Russian penal colony is a prison camp that houses inmates in barracks rather than cells, according to the Center for Eastern Studies. Penal colonies have been compared to "Soviet-era gulags — tough prison camps that expanded across the region during Joseph Stalin's rule in the mid-20th century," according to CNN.
As Quinn told ESPN's Pablo Torre on the "ESPN Daily" podcast, the conditions in a penal colony are "remarkably worse" than in a jail.
"The jail is actually the better option. It's cleaner. It's more modern. She's got a cellmate who speaks English," Quinn said. "When you go to a penal colony, as other Americans have said in the past, it's rough. It's something out of Russian literature.
"These are harsh conditions. We're heading into a Russian winter. These are labor camps where people work all day."
The Associated Press reported last year that Russian's penal colonies house nearly 520,000 inmates.
Reactions to Brittney Griner's transfer to penal colony
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
"Following a sham trial and the unjust sentencing of Brittney Griner, Moscow is transferring her from a prison in Moscow to a remote penal colony. It is another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention.
"As we work to secure Brittney Griner’s release, we expect Russian authorities to provide our Embassy officials with regular access to all U.S. citizens detained in Russia, including Brittney, as is their obligation. Ensuring the health and welfare of U.S. citizen detainees in Russia is a priority, and we will continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for them all.
"Our hearts are with Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, as well as their family, friends, and supporters, who all continue to suffer from Russia’s decision to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens. We continue to work relentlessly to bring them home. I am focused on doing so, as are so many others in the Department. We will not relent until they are reunited with their loved ones."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
"Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long. As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony.
"As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens. In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels.
"The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia — including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan."
Brittney Griner's agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas
"Our primary concern continues to be BG's health and well-being. As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public's support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her."
Women's National Basketball Players Association
"We stand with Brittney Griner and will continue to call on all Americans and the global sports community to do the same with even more vigilance. We are crushed that this scary, seemingly never-ending nightmare continues. The lack of clarity and transparency in the process compounds the pain."
What comes next for Brittney Griner?
Quinn told Torre that the U.S. government will attempt to figure out exactly where Griner is being sent, but officials may not receive an answer anytime soon.
"Russia doesn't have to tell them," Quinn said. "They'll tell them when they want to tell them. And it's possible that it could be a week, could be several weeks until that letter, that official letter, arrives."
