Brittney Griner has been in a Moscow prison since February for a drug offense
Source: AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Brittney Griner has been in a Moscow prison for eight months. Now a court is deciding on the appeal against her nine-year prison sentence. The US basketball player’s chances of returning to the United States are dwindling.
EThe Moscow Regional Court has dismissed the appeal of US basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years in prison. According to the Interfax news agency, the court on Tuesday refused to reduce the prison sentence. After a recalculation of the pre-trial detention, which is counted towards the sentence, Griner has to remain in prison for around eight years. The verdict is final, it said. Griner could be transferred to a correctional facility in the near future, where she would have to serve her sentence.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February with a small amount of hashish and convicted by a court in the Russian capital in early August. Internationally, the verdict triggered a wave of solidarity with the athlete.
Griner’s lawyers argued before the appeals court that given the small amount of hashish found, the verdict was harsh and unfair. In her closing statement, Griner again pleaded guilty, but also pointed out that her sentence was harsher than the usual punishment in Russia in such cases.
US government seeks release
Upon arrival at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, so-called vape cartridges and hashish oil were found on Griner’s premises. It is said to have been 0.5 grams. This was ruled as illegal drug possession and attempted smuggling. The US government is working hard to secure their release.
Most recently, superstar Steph Curry remembered Griner at the start of the NBA season. “We want to take our stage and the opportunity to say hello to an important member of the basketball community: Today is Brittney Griner’s birthday, she is 32 years old. Let’s keep her name known and praying, she has been unlawfully detained in Russia for 243 days and we hope she comes home soon and everyone contributes,” Curry said.
