A Russian court on Thursday sentenced American basketball player Brittney Griner to nine years in prison and a fine of one million rubles. According to CNN, the judge found the athlete guilty of drug trafficking, a crime that, according to him, was committed deliberately.
The WNBA player was detained on February 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport when customs found vaporizers containing less than a gram of hashish oil in her luggage.
In closing remarks during the trial session, Griner pleaded for leniency (softness) and said he had no intention of breaking Russian law. The player had already pleaded guilty, but she explained that she made an “honest mistake” by packing her bags in a hurry.
The basketball player’s lawyers have already indicated that will appeal the court’s decision. In a statement to which CNN had access, they were “disillusioned” with the verdict and accused the court of ignoring the evidence they presented.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, promptly reacted to the news, calling the sentence “unacceptable” and demanding the release of the basketball player.
Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that reminds what the world already knows: Russia wrongfully detained Brittney. She is unacceptable,” she said in a statement.
Joe Biden assured that his administration will continue to work “tirelessly” and will follow all possible paths to free Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, also detained in Russia.
Griner’s arrest came at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow deteriorated due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In late July, it was reported that the US administration had a “substantial offer” to release Griner and Whelan in exchange for Viktor Bouta Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year sentence in an American prison.
The US offers famous arms dealer Russia in exchange for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has already been in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the proposal. Blinken said he had lobbied the Kremlin to agree to the deal, but so far no exchange has been announced.
Source: Observadora
