
via Getty
PALMETTO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Watson after defeating the Dallas Wings at Feld Entertainment Center on August 10, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida.(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

via Getty
PALMETTO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Watson after defeating the Dallas Wings at Feld Entertainment Center on August 10, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida.(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Things turned from bad to worse for WNBA star Brittney Griner. After her appeal was rejected on October 25th, Griner is now set to go to one of the notorious Russian penal colonies. Her wife Cherelle, who recently spoke to Griner, disclosed some disheartening words after the ‘absurd’ ruling.
Griner has been away from home for over 250 days now and her latest appeal was rejected as well. Griner and her legal team were hoping that they could commute the sentence or at least reduce it. However, the Russian legal authorities rejected her appeal. And now, she is set to begin her sentence in one of the Russian penal colonies.
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Her wife, Cherelle called the ruling absurd. She said she understood that each country has its own laws. But she said that people with much more severe crimes are serving lesser sentences than her wife.
Cherelle Griner on the detention of wife Brittney Griner and her mental health
Cherelle revealed that she had the opportunity to speak with Griner after her appeal ruling. She was very concerned about her mental health and how her state of mind is deteriorating in Russian custody.
Cherelle
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“She?s like, ‘My mind is fading in here.’ And, you know, it?s just so disheartening to hear,”?
Cherelle also thanked the US government for being so helpful. She said, “This could happen to anybody and we should be praying that we have a country that recognizes the importance of that and are willing to actually go get our Americans and bring them back home.?

The US State Department recently released a statement saying they are actively in discussion with Russia. They stated that they are doing everything they can to get Griner and Paul Whelan back home. But experts suggest that this may take a really long time. In the meantime, reports have suggested Russia’s willingness to negotiate a prisoner swap deal. However, the Kremlin will require strict confidentiality regarding the negotiations on such deals.
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However, the news from Brittney Griner’s wife is definitely concerning and we can hope that Griner holds on until the countries find a solution.
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