The athlete even had to spend the hearings behind bars. She has been in Russian custody since February.
(Photo: Reuters)
Moscow A Russian court has sentenced US basketball player Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for illegal drug possession. This was reported by the Tass agency on Thursday from the court in Chimki near Moscow.
The public prosecutor’s office had demanded a prison sentence of nine and a half years in the closing argument. Cannabis oil was found in the athlete’s luggage when she entered the country in mid-February. It is said to have been 0.5 grams. Griner apologized to her family and her team Phoenix Mercury.
She never wanted to break Russian law, said the two-time Olympic gold medalist. “I made an honest mistake and I hope your judgment doesn’t end my life,” she told the court before the verdict.
US President Joe Biden has sharply criticized the conviction and called for her release. “Russia is wrongly holding Brittney,” Biden said in a written statement Thursday. “This is unacceptable and I urge Russia to release her immediately to be with her wife, family, friends and teammates.” Biden said the US government is continuing to work tirelessly to secure Griner as soon as possible to bring home.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Washington accuses Moscow of a politically motivated process. The US government has been trying to get Griner released for months. A phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov at the end of July also discussed the possibility of a prisoner exchange.
Judges had considerable latitude
A conviction of Griner had been expected. Russian courts rarely acquit the accused. Griner has also admitted to having the vape cartridges in her luggage. However, the judges had considerable leeway – almost opting for the maximum sentence.
Griner’s lawyers had tried, among other things, to substantiate the basketball player’s statement that she had no criminal intentions and that the disputed cannabis products ended up in her luggage as a result of hasty packing. They have presented character witnesses from the Russia basketball team, for which she is playing during her team’s break in the United States, as well as a written testimony from a doctor who says Griner prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
More: All events related to the Ukraine war in the Newsblog.