New Delhi: American women’s basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court Thursday, a verdict US President Joe Biden has called “unacceptable”.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on charges of smuggling in less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. She had come to play for a Russian team during the WNBA offseason.
Brittney had pleaded guilty in court last month.
On Thursday, Judge Anna Sotnikova of Moscow Region’s Khimki City Court announced, “The court hereby sentences Griner to nine years in prison and a fine of one million rubles (Rs 13.1 lakh).”
According to Russian news agency TASS, the court found the US basketball player guilty under Articles 228.1 and 229.1.2 of the Russian Criminal Code — illegal acquisition, storage, transportation or possession of narcotic drugs without intent to sell and significant drug smuggling.
The basketball player’s incarceration in a ‘penal colony’ comes amid high tension in Moscow-Washington ties after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Brittney’s conviction comes days after the Biden administration offered a prison swap with Moscow, according to CNN. The US offered to give up convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, who has been in a Russian prison since 2018 and undergoing a 16-year sentence for spying.
After the conviction, Joe Biden said, “Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”
Biden added, “My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
US Vice-President Kamala Harris called Griner’s detention “wrongful”, saying she “should be released immediately”.
With today’s sentencing, Russia continues its wrongful detention of Brittney Griner. She should be released immediately. @POTUS and I, and our entire Administration, are working every day to reunite Brittney, as well as Paul Whelan, with loved ones who miss each of them dearly.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 4, 2022
Russia has been severely criticised for its low acquittal rate of prisoners, which in 2019 dropping to a historic 0.25 percent – or nearly 1 in 400 cases.
This report said judicial outcomes in the year were “comparable to levels at the height of the Soviet police state”.
In 2017, the rate was 0.3 percent.
CNN reported that Griner’s legal team would appeal the verdict, which must be done in the next 10 days.
Her lawyers said in a statement: “We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea.”
In her plea, Griner pleaded guilty to carrying less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage as she travelled through the Moscow airport on 17 February. While admitting that she had no intention of bringing cannabis into Russia, Griner blamed it on “stress packing”.
She told the court: “I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here… I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom.”
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Source: The Print
