Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of drug trafficking in Russia
WNBA player Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in jail Thursday by a Russian court for importing illegal narcotics into the nation.
As recently as last month, Griner entered a plea of guilty to all charges against her, calling the occurrence a “honest mistake.”
Griner’s imprisonment on the eve of Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine is the latest terrible twist in a story that began in February when Russian authorities detained him.
Griner’s allies are still optimistic about the situation. In the same way that he secured the release of ex-Marine Trevor Reed earlier this year
The diplomatic situation has become even more urgent due to the well-known harshness of Russian prison conditions. The treatment of Griner, a gay, in a country infamous for homophobic persecution, is also an issue. For Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker imprisoned in the United States, the Biden administration proposed to swap Griner and Paul Whelan last month.
After the sentencing, President Biden issued a statement.
“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” he said. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.
“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
At the beginning of February, Griner arrived in the country and was detained for possessing less than one milligramme of cannabis oil concealed among two cartridges. During the hearing on Thursday, Griner apologised and said she “had no intent to break Russian law” when she mistakenly rushed her packing to play professional basketball in Russia.
During her time with the Baylor University Lady Bears basketball team, Griner was a standout player. During the offseasons, she has played basketball in China and Russia for the Phoenix Mercury.
In the meantime, numerous members of the Texas congressional delegation have been in regular touch with the State Department about this issue. Both Sheila Jackson Lee and Colin Allred, a fellow Baylor University athlete who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, are actively involved in the effort to secure Griner’s release from prison.