WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison in a sentence US President Joe Biden has called “unacceptable” after police said they found vape cartridges containing oil of cannabis in his luggage at the airport in February.
The nine-year sentence was close to the 10-year maximum Ms. Griner had faced on the charges.
So who is Brittney Griner and will she really be locked up in Russia for nine years?
Who is Brittney Griner?
Ms. Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association and is considered one of the league’s greatest players of all time.
He won Olympic gold medals for the United States in 2016 and 2020.
Brittney Griner has been playing for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013. (AP Photo Rick Scuteri)
Griner had traveled to Russia to play in the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason when she was accused of having the vaporizer cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
His arrest was first announced by Russia on March 6 and his trial began on July 1, when he pleaded guilty to the charges.
“I would like to plead guilty to the charges against me. But I had no intention of breaking any Russian law,” Ms. Griner said when she took the stand last month.
She has since been convicted in Russia of drug possession and drug trafficking, and was sentenced to nine years behind bars.
Where is it held?
During her trial, Ms. Griner was being held at Correctional Colony No. 1, or IK-1, outside Moscow, according to the New York Times.
It is described as a gray facility with artificial lighting.
Now that she has been sentenced, Ms. Griner will be transferred to a general penal colony, Judge Anna Sotnikova ordered.
“[The court has stated] through the accumulation of crimes to impose a prison sentence for nine years and a fine at the rate of 1 million rubles [$23,000]”, the judge ruled.
“The sentence must be served in the general regime penal colony. The fine must be paid directly to the bank details indicated in the verdict.”
The basketball community shares support
The American WNBA community has expressed solidarity with Ms. Griner on Twitter.
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The Phoenix Mercury described the verdict as a “distressing milestone” in the case, stating that the club remains “heartbroken for her”.
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Before today’s game, the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury gathered at center court for a moment of silence in honor of Mrs. Griner.
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NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry wore Griner’s jersey under his tracksuit at the ESPY Awards show and urged “the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on his behalf.”
What is the offer to remove it?
The United States is pushing for Moscow to accept a deal aimed at securing Ms Griner’s release that would see her, along with former US Marine Paul Whelan, exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in a swap prisoners
“It’s a serious proposal. We urge them to accept it. They should have accepted it weeks ago when we first made it,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, without providing details.
Joe Biden “is receiving regular updates” on negotiations to free Ms. Griner. (AP News: Evgenia Novozhenina)
Officially, Moscow has only told the United States to seek “quiet diplomacy, without the release of speculative information.”
However, a source familiar with the proceedings told Reuters that Russia had sought to add convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, who is in prison in Germany, to the proposed swap.
Asked Thursday if Washington would be willing to reconsider Russia’s request, Kirby dismissed it: “I don’t think we’re going so far as to call it a counteroffer.”
Biden “is receiving regular updates” on negotiations for the release of Ms. Griner, Whelan and others who are considered wrongfully detained, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Biden said his administration “will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every avenue possible to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
ABC/children