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Brittney Griner says she was subjected to inhumane conditions during her astir 10-month-long detainment successful Russia, which included her last enactment astatine a Russian penal colony, wherever nan WNBA star says she was forced to activity connected helping to nutrient subject clothing.
In her first beryllium down question and reply aft being released successful December 2022 successful a captive exchange, Griner detailed her surviving conditions successful an question and reply pinch ABC News' "Good Morning America."
WNBA prima and two-time Olympic golden medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom aft a proceeding successful Khimki, conscionable extracurricular Moscow, connected Aug. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
"The mattress had a immense bloodstain, and they springiness you these bladed 2 sheets, truthful you’re fundamentally laying connected bars," Griner said of her first detainment astatine Correctional Colony No. 1, aliases IK-1 arsenic it is much commonly referred to.
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"From nan mediate of my shin to my feet stuck done nan bars, which successful prison, you really don’t want to instrumentality your limb and limb done bars because personification could spell up and drawback it, break it, twist it and that’s what was going done my mind."
Griner was arrested astatine a Russian airport successful February 2022 aft it was discovered that she had been walking pinch cartridges containing cannabis oil. She had been walking to Russia to play hoops successful nan offseason and credited nan correction arsenic simply a "mental lapse."
Griner was swiftly taken into custody to await her fate.
Brittney Griner, #15 of nan US National Team, warms up anterior to their accumulation crippled against nan Duke Blue Devils astatine Cameron Indoor Stadium connected Nov. 12, 2023 successful Durham, North Carolina. (Lance King/Getty Images)
BRITTNEY GRINER BLAMES LEAVING CANNABIS OIL CARTRIDGES IN LUGGAGE BEFORE RUSSIA ARREST ON 'MENTAL LAPSE'
During her detainment, Griner said her entree to resources was limited. She was fixed a rotation of toilet insubstantial that was meant to past her a month. However, location were immoderate times erstwhile moreover those needs were not being met.
"There was for illustration two, 3 months wherever we didn’t get anything."
She continued, "It was for illustration 15 years agone that toothpaste was expired. We utilized to put it connected nan achromatic mold to termination nan mold connected nan walls."
After her trial, Griner was sentenced to 9 years successful a Russian labour camp, IK-2.
A Russian tribunal recovered Brittney Griner blameworthy of smuggling and storing narcotics aft prosecutors requested a condemnation of 9 and a half years successful jailhouse for nan athlete. (EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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While there, Griner worked to trim cloth for subject uniforms.
"It’s a activity camp," she recalled. "You spell location to work. There’s nary rest."
"So I’m picking up these large beams of fleece and fabric and silk. We put it connected this machine, and you rotation it retired a 100 times, clamp it, trim it."
Griner was released successful December 2022 arsenic portion of a captive switch for arms trader Viktor Bout. She returned to nan Mercury past season. She was an All-Star for nan eighth clip successful her career.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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