Current Events > Brittney Griner's prison sentence is upheld in a Russian court

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https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1131007778/brittney-griner-appeal-decision-russia

MOSCOW A Moscow appeals court reaffirmed American basketball star Britney Griner's nine-year sentence on drug smuggling charges a decision that in effect sends Griner to serve out her term in a Russian prison colony, even as Moscow and Washington appear set to reengage in talks for a possible prisoner swap that could see her released much sooner.

Griner observed Tuesday's hearing by video feed from a prison cell in a women's detention center outside Moscow, relying on a court appointed interpreter to follow the proceedings.

"Can she see the interpreter?" asked one of the three-judge panel at Griner's hearing.

"Are you wearing a white shirt and a black jacket?" responded Griner, squinting back through cell bars at the screen in front of her.

According to a statement released by Griner's legal team ahead of the ruling, Griner had entered the day with few illusions.

"Brittney does not expect any miracles to happen but hopes that the appeal court will hear the arguments of the defense and reduce the term," read the statement.

In August, a Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison for carrying less than a gram (0.04 oz.) of hashish oil into Russia when she arrived for play in the Russian women's professional basketball league earlier this year.

In court, Griner admitted to mistakenly packing two vape cartridges in her rush to pack her luggage but provided documents that showed the oil was legally prescribed by her U.S. doctor for pain management. She also never failed a drug test.

The U.S. government has labeled Griner "wrongfully detained" and referred her case to the State Department's office for hostage affairs amid charges the case was politically motivated.

Griner's Russian lawyers have also noted the American's nine-year sentence on drug charges was unusually harsh, even by Russian legal standards.

U.S.-Russia prisoner trade negotiations continue

The appeals ruling came as Washington and Moscow have engaged in on-again, off-again talks over a potential prisoner exchange involving Griner.

The White House says it made a "substantial offer" over the summer widely reported to involve a suggested trade of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and another jailed American, former Marine Paul Whelan.

White House officials also maintain that Griner's freedom is an administration priority and repeatedly encouraged Moscow to take the deal or propose a serious counteroffer.

In a recent interview with CNN, President Biden said the only reason he would engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin at next month's G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, would be to discuss Griner's release.

Yet the Kremlin has insisted any deal will hinge on Griner's trial on drug charges coming to a formal end a detail that appears to place added significance to the appeals process, whatever the outcome.

There are potential signs of progress on negotiations

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson who has engaged in informal talks with Moscow on behalf of the Griner and Whelan families said in August he came away "relatively optimistic" from conversations with Russian officials.

Then, earlier this month, Moscow's Ambassador to the U.S. Antoly Antonov revealed he had visited Bout, the Russian arms dealer, at his prison in Illinois, where he is serving a 25-year sentence.

"He's counting on and hoping for a decision from Moscow on this matter," Antonov told Russia's state RIA-Novosti news service, referring to Bout.

"With a nice, pleasant smile we parted on that note," added Antonov.

Dimming that optimism: last week's arrests in Germany and Italy of two Russians including the son of a regional governor on a U.S. request in Europe. The two were arrested for alleged sanctions evasion and illegal sale of U.S. technologies to Russian arms firms active in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has condemned the detentions and vowed to do "everything possible" to defend the Russian nationals from extradition to the U.S. Russian media have openly speculated the arrests were part of a U.S. attempt to exert leverage for a trade for Griner's release.

Meanwhile, Griner remains in prison outside Moscow, where she recently marked her 32nd birthday far from friends and family.

In their statement released ahead of Tuesday's ruling, her legal team described Griner as nervous about the road ahead, and acknowledged that public pressure on Washington, rather than the legal system, were more likely to play a role in her possible release from prison.

"Brittney is [a] very strong person and has a champion's character," her lawyers said in the statement. "However, she of course has her highs and lows as she is severely stressed being separated from her loved ones for over eight months."

The statement also included a message from Griner herself, who was quoted as saying: "Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me."

I will never travel abroad to an authoritarian nation like Russia, China, or North Korea for this exact reason. They will absolutely abuse their power and look for any reason at all to detain (and murder) you.

Prisoner exchange is the only way she's coming home.

...

I thought Biden would have got her out of there by now.

__aCEr__ posted...

Prisoner exchange is the only way she's coming home.

I find it hard to believe there's no Russian citizens being held in the US over bullshit drug charges, and that the only available exchange is an arms dealer.

Questionmarktarius posted...

I find it hard to believe there's no Russian citizens being held in the US over bullshit drug charges, and that the only available exchange is an arms dealer.

I'm sure there are, but the Russian government would never make an exchange for them. At least not with Griner, they see her as a high value prisoner and will only exchange for someone being held in the US that is also a "high value" prisoner.

SergeantGander posted...

I'm sure there are, but the Russian government would never make an exchange for them. At least not with Griner, they see her as a high value prisoner and will only exchange for someone being held in the US that is also a "high value" prisoner.

Shows how dumb russia is - thinking a WNBA player is high value

TaylorHeinicke posted...

Shows how dumb russia is - thinking a WNBA player is high value

Inb4TaylorHeinickeisSUSPENDEDtopic

SergeantGander posted...

Inb4TaylorHeinickeisSUSPENDEDtopic

lol wat

i'm not saying she as a person has no value. every human has value.

i see how i mis-spoke though -- should've said "thinking a WNBA player is a high value prisoner." - i see now how that sounded worse than i intended

im talking about how a WNBA player as a political prisoner doesn't carry the same value as a freaking merchant of death arms dealer

TaylorHeinicke posted...

i see how i mis-spoke though -- should've said "thinking a WNBA player is a high value prisoner." - i see now how that sounded worse than i intended

She made a hell of a lot more money, and had a hell of a lot more popularity, playing in Russia than in the WNBA. Russia screwed itself here, again.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Shut the fuck up.

Questionmarktarius posted...

She made a hell of a lot more money, and had a hell of a lot more popularity, playing in Russia than in the WNBA. Russia screwed itself here, again.

that too lmfao hahahaha

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

She pops up on the news like once a month whenever something advances with the trial. Bunch of internet loons yell for her to be freed, then they forget five minutes later until the next thing pops up.

Now that it looks like the trial is done and there appear to be no more appeals, nobody of value is going to care anymore.

TaylorHeinicke posted...

lol wat

i'm not saying she as a person has no value. every human has value.

i see how i mis-spoke though -- should've said "thinking a WNBA player is a high value prisoner." - i see now how that sounded worse than i intended

im talking about how a WNBA player as a political prisoner doesn't carry the same value as a freaking merchant of death arms dealer

Lol fair enough. I was just kidding btw, didn't actually think it was some egregious statement.

You're right though, I'd be a bit shocked if a WNBA player, or any athlete, was exchanged for a merchant of death as you said.

Why isn't Kamala Harris negotiating for the release of all the people she locked up for similar charges?

Questionmarktarius posted...

She made a hell of a lot more money, and had a hell of a lot more popularity, playing in Russia than in the WNBA. Russia screwed itself here, again.

Although to be clear, she was making over $200,000 a year with her us team. So it's not like she couldn't pay the bills.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Probably like 90%

Apparently her punishment is way overkill even by Russian legal standards. That's what I have read. They are being super harsh because she's American and possibly her race is a factor to.

__aCEr__ posted...

Prisoner exchange is the only way she's coming home.

If US was serious about BS drug charges they would be freeing all the people in US jails with them but they arent. And just doing lip service with Griner to pretend they care about her. And only did so after getting backlash from WNBA and her wife.

s0nicfan posted...

Although to be clear, she was making over $200,000 a year with her us team. So it's not like she couldn't pay the bills.

...and made a million a year in Russia.

Her sports career is over if she serves the full sentence. She'll be probably too old to play when she gets out

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/9/AADsARAADNB3.jpg

ZMythos posted...

I will never travel abroad to an authoritarian nation like Russia, China, or North Korea for this exact reason. They will absolutely abuse their power and look for any reason at all to detain (and murder) you.

Are we really going to ignore her bringing drugs into the nation, when most countries are very, very, VERY strict about that?
This may shock you, but not every country functions like the USA.
Come on, now, your parents must've taught you better than that...

MasterVading posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/9/AADsARAADNB3.jpg

Why do you hate her?

maybe it's cause she's a black woman?

lennethsoki posted...

Are we really going to ignore her bringing drugs into the nation, when most countries are very, very, VERY strict about that?
This may shock you, but not every country functions like the USA.
Come on, now, your parents must've taught you better than that...

It was a miniscule amount, obviously meant for personal use. And she forgot it was in her bag. It was legal in America. She forgot to remove it when traveling to Russia. They framed it as her being a drug dealer trying to corrupt Russia. Which is obviously a lie

Doing time for weed is stupid in any country.

SergeantGander posted...

Lol fair enough. I was just kidding btw, didn't actually think it was some egregious statement.

fair enough -- can never be too careful with moderations around here so i had to clarify lmfao hahahahha

Zikten posted...

Why do you hate her?

Conservative media forms all of his opinions

Crimsoness posted...

Conservative media forms all of his opinions

not everyone who criticizes her hates her
not everyone who hates her or criticizes her is conservative

i'm not conservative and i think she did something stupid and is being punished for it, as anyone should expect.

would i like her to be freed? absolutely. but should we be swapping an arms dealer named literally the merchant of death for her? absolutely not.

TaylorHeinicke posted...

i'm not conservative

Sure you're not Muffinz

Crimsoness posted...

Sure you're not

I mean, I'm not. I'm not sure why you're casting doubt, but I've never voted conservative/republican in my entire life. Not sure what you want me to say to sway you otherwise.

lennethsoki posted...

Are we really going to ignore her bringing drugs into the nation, when most countries are very, very, VERY strict about that?
This may shock you, but not every country functions like the USA.
Come on, now, your parents must've taught you better than that...

Putin is not going to read this post and have sex with you afterwards.

i dont agree with everything Griner has said in the past, but sending her to Russian prison for almost a decade over a small amount of pot is straight up insanity

but being heavy handed and insane is the Russian government way
gotta live up to those decades old stereotypes, the president might as well be a bear on a unicycle

NonDairyMiltank posted...

i dont agree with everything Griner has said in the past, but sending her to Russian prison for almost a decade over a small amount of pot is straight up insanity

but being heavy handed and insane is the Russian government way
gotta live up to those decades old stereotypes, the president might as well be a bear on a unicycle

This comes from my republican family members, so it's probably false or half-true, but apparently Griner was very vocal about "kneeling" during the Athem and criticizing the USA. Then she went to an even worse country voluntarily to make money. So their thought is that she was a hypocrite, and deserves to some extent what happened to her.

I just hope she comes home and can still play basketball. I would of thought Biden could have gotten it done by now but he's in a bad position because of the War. Maybe the thought is that Putin's days are numbered, and that a new Russian regime might try to curry favor with the USA and let Grimer go in exchange for other concessions. Pure speculation on my part.