Basketball star Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years on drug charges in Russia

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Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in a penal colony by a Russian court for attempting to smuggle illegal drugs with criminal intent.

The queer American basketball star was detained in an airport near Moscow in February when security found two vape cartridges of hashish oil in her luggage.

Judge Anna Sotnikova of the Khimki Court handed down the largely expected verdict on Thursday (4 August). She also issued the two-time Olympic medal winner with a fine of one million rubles.

Sotnikova said the court did take into account Griner’s partial admission of guilt, remorse for the deed, state of health and charitable activities.

But Griner’s lawyers blasted the decision in a statement. “This contradicts the existing legal practice. Taking into account the amount of the substance (not to mention the defects of the expertise) and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable. We will certainly file an appeal,” they said.

Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin, and Alexander Boykov, of Moscow Legal Center, said the court “completely ignored all the evidence of the defence, and most importantly, the guilty plea”.

From the onset, Griner’s lawyers expressed little hope of Griner being acquitted, something Russia’s court system rarely sees. Instead, they hoped to soften the sentencing by having Griner plead guilty.

It did not work. The hefty sentence reignited calls for the Joe Biden administration to do more to secure Griner’s freedom, with the White House offering a deal to exchange convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner’s release.

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“Secretary of state Blinken, president Biden’s national security team and the entire American government remain committed to bringing Ms Griner home safely to her family and friends,” said Elizabeth Rood, the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow.

She said outside the court that Griner’s conviction and sentencing were a “miscarriage of justice”.

Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBA) executive director Terri Jackson said as much as she “trusts” Griner’s legal team to appeal, “at the same time, we need this administration to keep pressing forward”.

She had stern words for Blinken, who is helming the White House’s efforts to free Griner. He had discussed Griner during a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in July.

“You need no formal meeting,” Jackson continued. “This is critically important to BG, to her family, to our country. We need a win. And we’re counting on you to have that conversation, and begin to put these wheels in motion.”

Griner’s fellow WNBA players also posted messages of support for her on Twitter.

praying so hard for BG man