Biden: “unacceptable”
US star Griner sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia
08/04/2022, 05:10 p.m
It was foreseeable that a harsh judgment threatened her. Now it’s official: a Russian court finds US basketball star Brittney Griner guilty. She is to be behind bars for nine years. However, it is still unclear how the 31-year-old athlete will continue.
A Russian court has sentenced US basketball player Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. It was said that she committed the crime intentionally. Griner also had to pay a fine of one million rubles (almost 16,000 euros). The public prosecutor had demanded nine and a half years in prison, the defense demanded an acquittal. Griner’s lawyers have announced an appeal.
The athlete had again pleaded guilty before the verdict. However, she said she did not intentionally violate the laws of Russia. Griner apologized to her Russian team and family. She made a mistake and hopes that the court will not stop her life with this verdict. Everyone was talking about politics, said the 31-year-old. However, she hopes that the courtroom will be far away from politics.
US President Joe Biden sharply criticized Griner’s conviction and called for her release. “Russia is wrongly holding Brittney,” Biden said in a written statement. “This is unacceptable and I call on Russia to release her immediately so that she can be with her wife, family, friends and teammates.” Biden said the US government is continuing to work tirelessly to bring Griner home safely as soon as possible.
Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17 after vape cartridges containing hash oil were discovered in her luggage. Since then, Griner has been in custody. According to Griner’s lawyer, the athlete was prescribed the cannabis oil by the doctor as a painkiller. Even in the US, she only used it “occasionally”. In Russia, cannabis is also banned for medicinal purposes. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the amount found at Griner’s corresponded to less than one gram of cannabis in solid form. The athlete pleaded guilty at the beginning of the trial. The maximum sentence for drug smuggling is ten years in prison.
Judgment makes prisoner exchange possible
The 31-year-old has been playing for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2015. She won the Euroleague four times with the top club. Griner is one of the best basketball players in the American women’s professional league WNBA. With the Phoenix Mercury she won the championship in 2014, with the US national team she won two gold medals at the World Championships in addition to two Olympic victories. Many professional players like Griner are not only active in their home leagues, but also abroad, including in Russia and Turkey.
US-Russia relations have hit a new low since the Russian attack on Ukraine. Biden had assured Griner’s wife last month that Washington was working on the matter. It is expected that a prisoner swap could follow. According to the defense, this step will also become legally possible after the court verdict is announced.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the United States had made a serious offer in Moscow for the release of imprisoned US citizens – including Griner and former soldier Paul Whelan. In exchange, the US government is willing to extradite convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Dealer of Death,” to Russia, according to an insider. According to Russian data, there is no vote on an exchange.
Also, no negotiations should be conducted in the press, said Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The United States recently stated that in return Moscow is demanding, among other things, the release of the Russian Vadim K., who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the Tiergarten murder.