Russia Confirms Nine-Year Sentence for Brittney Griner
WNBA Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February when authorities found cannabis oil in her luggage.
Griner, who had traveled to Moscow to play for a Russian basketball team during the WNBA’s offseason, was sentence to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. The arrest occurred just a few days before Moscow announced its invasion of Ukraine.
A Russian court rejected Griner’s appeal last week, increasing the chances of a prisoner swap with the United States. Griner, 32, is currently being held in a penal colony and was permitted to attend her court hearing via video link.
According to her defense attorneys, Griner had been prescribed cannabis oil to treat chronic pain and had not intended to pack the medicine with her on her trip to Russia.
The court’s decision is a “failure of justice compounding the injustice of her detention,” argued US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “Securing her release is our priority.”
Griner’s sentence is “excessive and contradicts to the existing court practice,” wrote lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, adding that most criminals convicted of similar charges in Russia get off on parole or receive a sentence of five years.
The Russian court’s only response was to note that since Griner’s time spent in pre-trial detention counts as “time and a half,” she will end up spending roughly eight years in prison instead of nine.
“Brittney’s biggest fear is that she is not exchanged and will have to serve the whole sentence in Russia,” said her attorneys. “She had hopes for today, as each month, each day away from her family and friends matters to her.”
Though US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the Biden Administration is “willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home,” little progress has been made.
Unfortunately, the increased awareness of Griner’s plight has turned her into somewhat of a political football (or basketball, in this case) and as long as Biden keeps making comments, Russia will keep her locked up to piss him off. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has it right when she said the Russian court’s ruling confirms the fact that Griner is a “hostage.”
The Biden Administration in July offered to exchange Griner and Paul Whelan (an American serving time in Russia for espionage) for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “merchant of death” who is serving out a 25-year sentence in the US, but hasn’t received a response from Moscow.
In April, the US exchanged Russian pilot and known drug-trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko for US Marines vet Trevor Reed. Russia also seeks the release of Alexander Vinnik, who was arrested in Greece in 2017 on money laundering charges and extradited to the US in August 2022.
Sources:
Russian court rejects Griner appeal of her 9-year sentence
Brittney Griner is hoping for a prisoner exchange, her lawyer says
The POS anti-America freeking loud mouth is where it belongs. PUTIPOOT actually did us a favor on this one.
The more people talk about Griner and put him in the spotlight, the more the Russian Government is going to use him as a pawn.
I’m almost positive Griner is being treated much better than the other Americans that are there and I’m absolutely positive that they deserve a equal voice in how they’re doing…. Their families don’t live them any less than GRINERS does… The only reasons Griner is getting this kind of attention is because he’s a professional basketball player in a woman’s league… What kind of fair play is that ?
You do know Griner is a female not a male! It walks and talks and tries to look male, but it definitely is a F E M A L E !!
Our American Society, being horribly led by the most “WORTHLESS AND INCOMPETENT” leader (can’t call that misfit EMBARRASSING tweak our president — he doesn’t deserve that title) is crumbling and falling apart! Humans are so confused as to who they are that they get “stuck” in an identify just because they truly have no idea of who the little child inside them is! WOKERS are the worst and destroy so many people by their blatant ignorance and self worship!
Griner never chose to be arrested by the Russians but the truly SMART thing would have been to research the laws of Russia regarding drugs before going there and making sure you do NOT bring any drugs into Russia. But she didn’t do that, so now she is a pawn for Putin the DIKtator to use to slap Biden down — which won’t take much effort because Biden is already slithering around on his belly!! Snake boy is too busy trying to find his way to the “Where Am I” House bathroom than to worry about Griner…she is just another unimportant American like the rest of us to Biden — a waste of his time!!
A day in Biden’s life/thoughts: “Where is that damn bathroom? They keep moving it so I can’t find it! It’s good Jill got me Depends for emergencies like this!! WHO’s Griner? Does she know where the bathroom is?? Find her!! Oh crap! Putin has her? Does he know where the bathroom is? Wait! Was I looking for the bathroom or the Oval Office? Too late! Sure glad Jill gave me these Depends.”
“Now who is that Griner person and why is Putin keeping her locked up? Drugs? Geeez! Come on Griner! Just give some of your drugs to Putin so he’ll tell me where the bathroom is in the “Where Am I” House! I’ve got to go — too late! Houston we have a situation here! Where’s Jill? I need a change… Oh Jill, Sweetheart!!”
She KNEW that she screwed up but being a “celebrity” thought she would just walk away with a fine or a few days in jail, like here in the US (which she HATES). But Russia DOESN’T PLAY when it comes to illegal drugs or breaking ANY of their laws. Keep her over there to serve her sentence and then MAYBE she will come to understand that she lives in the GREATEST country on this Earth! Wherever you travel or live, you obey the laws of the country that you are going to or face doing either time or worse if you BREAK their laws.
She deserves more than she has gotten. It seems some sport figures think they are above the law and can do whatever they want to do and just deserve a slap on the wrist!!! She needs to be transferred to the prison for convicted felons not the posh cell she is in!!! Let her learn the lesson the same way others have to learn it!!!!! Quit babying her!!!!! She has always been defiant and felt she could do and act out with anyone and anything!!!!
She deserves more than she has gotten. It seems some sport figures think they are above the law and can do whatever they want to do and just deserve a slap on the wrist!!! She needs to be transferred to the prison for convicted felons not the posh cell she is in!!! Let her learn the lesson the same way others have to learn it!!!!! Quit babying her!!!!! She has always been defiant