A Russian court has rejected American basketball player Brittany Griner’s appeal against a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession and trafficking.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 with cannabis oil banned in Russia.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison on August 4. Now that his appeal has failed, Griner could be moved to one of Russia’s remote prison colonies within weeks.
Although Griner’s legal team said she was not “expecting a miracle” from the appeals process, the decision would come as a shock to the sports star, who pleaded guilty to drug charges in July and has thrown himself on mercy several times. A Russian court should hand down an unusually harsh sentence even for Russia.
“I ask that the court take all the stakes that were overlooked in the first court and reevaluate my sentence here,” Griner said, apologizing for her “mistake” and saying it was “painful,” according to ABC News. Away from your family.
The decision also indicates that the Biden administration has had little success in negotiating his freedom through back channels, as lawyers for other detained Americans have suggested the two sides may be close to a deal to swap jailed Russians and Americans.
Griner’s lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said they were “very disappointed” by Tuesday’s verdict.
“Britney’s biggest fear is that she will not be exchanged and will have to serve the entire sentence in Russia,” they said. “She looked forward to this day every month, every day away from her family and friends.”
After the verdict, a senior US official called the court hearing a “sham judicial proceeding” and called on Russia to release Griner.
“We are aware of reports out of Russia that Brittany Griner will be wrongfully detained under intolerable conditions today as she undergoes another fraudulent judicial proceeding,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“President Biden has been very clear that Britney must be released immediately. In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris administration has continued to engage with Russia through all available channels and has made every effort to bring Britney home as well as support and advocate for other Americans imprisoned in Russia, including Paul Whelan, who was wrongfully imprisoned. has done
The case also has political implications in the US, where the government has been accused of failing to prioritize the cases of Americans detained by geopolitical adversaries.
“The president has shown that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his administration has successfully done with countries around the world.”