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Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on a drug smuggling conviction. Many are now anxious that her imprisonment would be used to give Russia the upper hand with everything going on in the Ukrainian War.
As of right now, Griner is still being held in the detention center where she was kept during her weeks-long trial as her lawyers promise to appeal the sentence. The Biden administration continues to try to negotiate for her release so she can be back home. During the passing of the court’s decision, Judge Anna Sotnikova said she had found that Griner intentionally broke the law and also fined her 1 million rubles so about $16,700 in US money.
Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in guardianship, and since her arrest on February 17, those days would count toward her sentence. Griner had reacted to the sentence with a little sentiment, while she was listening to the verdict with a blank stare on her face. She was then led out of the courtroom. Griner then said, “I love my family.”
Griner could receive a maximum of 10 years for her charges. Prosecutors had asked for a nine-and-a-half-year sentence. She had admitted she made a mistake and she hoped that their ruling that it doesn’t end her life here and career, Griner stated in court before the verdict. She said she knew everybody keeps talking about “political pawn and politics”, but she hopes that it’s far from the courtroom they are in.
Griner’s defense attorneys told reporters that Griner was very upset along with feeling very stressed out. How she could barely talk and how it had become a difficult time for her. While under Russian Law, Griner has 10 days to appeal, and her lawyers are expecting a hearing in the Moscow regional court next week. They had asked if Griner could ask for pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Blagovolina had said they would consider every likelihood.
The U.S. government has proposed a prisoner swap, offering to exchange a convicted Russian arms trafficker for Griner and Paul Whelan However, the lawyers said they were not taking part in any discussions about a prisoner swap at that time. Whelan holds U.S. citizenship and is a former American Marine. He was handed a 16-year prison sentence in 2018 on espionage charges after a trial the U.S. deemed unfair.
Family Still Fights for Griner’s Safe Return
The basketball star’s wife, Cherelle Griner, has been frank about her wish for US officials to take more considerable action to bring her wife home. A few days after Cherelle expressed frustrations, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a call with her to reassure her they were committed to securing her wife’s release.
Griner stated she understood everything being said against her and the charges that are against her Which is why she had pled guilty. She then addressed the judge through an interpreter from her defendant’s space. She explained she hadn’t planned to break any Russian laws on purpose. Griner had also apologized to her teammates, fans, and the city of Ekaterinburg, where she has played during WNBA offseasons.
Before the game started on Thursday night between the Mercury and Connecticut Sun, both team players linked arms in the center of the court and held a 42-second moment of silence for Griner, who wears 42 on her jersey. After it ended, people in the crowd started chanting to bring the basketball star home.
Written by Zaylah De La Torre
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CNBC: Kremlin claims NATO is ‘real threat’ to world order; U.S. WNBA star Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison by Holly Ellyatt and Amanda Macias
ESPN: Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in Russian prison by T.J Quinn
CNN: Brittney Griner is facing a 9-year sentence in a Russian jail following conviction. Here’s what could come next for the WNBA star By Elizabeth Wolfe, Anna Chernova, Masha Angelova and Zahra Ullah
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