Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune
National
Matthew Watkins

Brittney Griner’s 9-year prison sentence upheld by Russian court

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner holds images while standing in a cage at a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia on July 27, 2022. American basketball star Brittney Griner returns to a Russian courtroom for her drawn-out trial on drug charges that could bring her 10 years in prison of convicted.
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner holds images while standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki, Russia, outside Moscow, on July 27. (Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTER)

A Russian court on Tuesday upheld U.S basketball star Brittney Griner’s 9-year sentence to a Russian penal colony, following a legal proceeding that a White House official called a “sham.”

Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport in February after airport officials discovered vape canisters and cannabis oil in her luggage. But news of her detainment didn’t break in the United States until March. She pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the country. In August, a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison. Multiple news outlets reported that Griner’s lawyer had asked for a suspended sentence in Tuesday’s appeal but had said they weren’t expecting any “miracles.”

The New York Times reported Tuesday that the court’s decision means Griner will begin serving her sentence soon, unless the Biden administration negotiates her release. Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, had expressed worry about that possibility earlier this month.

“Once that hearing is held and the order is finalized … she could be moved to a labor camp,” Cherelle Griner said earlier this month. “My brain can’t even fathom it.”

[Texan basketball star Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years after being found guilty in Russian drug case]

The White House has been working for months to secure Brittney Griner’s release from Russia, where she has played professionally since 2014. The WNBA player has a medical marijuana prescription in Arizona, but any amount of the substance is illegal in Russia. Experts have said the length of her sentence appears politically motivated.

There is also concern about the notoriously harsh conditions of Russian prisons and the treatment of Griner, who is gay, in a country known for homophobic persecution.

In a statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated the White House’s position that Griner should be released immediately.

“In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan,” he said.

Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.