Basketball player Brittney Griner appeals her prison sentence in Russia for drug possession

MADRID, 15 (EUROPA PRESS)

His lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, reported this measure on Monday through a statement on Telegram, at a time when the United States and Russia are negotiating a possible prisoner exchange.

Griner was arrested on February 17 at the Moscow airport in possession of cartridges containing cannabis oil. After pleading guilty at trial and assuming she made a “mistake,” she was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling.

The White House, for whom Griner’s arrest was unjust, has offered to exchange the player and former Marine Paul Whelan — imprisoned in Russia accused of espionage — for arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the ‘merchant of war ‘, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.

A few days ago, Russian authorities confirmed that the first approaches had already begun to carry out the exchange, even going so far as to show some optimism for the development of the negotiations.