WNBA star Brittney Griner found guilty by Russian court

By Hana Mae Nassar and The Associated Press

American basketball star Brittney Griner has been found guilty by a Russian court of illegally bringing drugs into the country.

Under Russian law, the 31-year-old could have faced up to 10 years in prison, but judges have considerable latitude on sentencing. She has been sentenced to nine years, slightly less than the 9 1/2 years prosecutors were pushing for.

Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count toward the sentence.

The WNBA player reacted to the sentence with little emotion. She listened to the verdict with a blank stare on her face.


Related article: Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug possession: Russian media


Before the unusually quick verdict was announced, Griner delivered an apology, making a final appeal to the court. She said she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil into Russia when she flew to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” an emotional Griner said, her voice cracking. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”

Griner said she made “an honest mistake” in bringing the vape cartridges into Russia, adding: “I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.”

Attention is now turning to the possibility of a high-stakes prisoner swap that was proposed last week by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to his Russian counterpart.

Russian officials have remained poker-faced about a possible deal and chafed at U.S. statements about the case, saying any potential agreement should be discussed through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.”

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement shortly after the verdict was delivered, saying the decision “is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney.”

“It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates,” Biden said.

The president went on to say that his administration would “continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue” to bring Griner as well as Paul Whelan, a Canadian with U.S., British, and Irish citizenship who was detained in Russia and accused of spying in 2018, home.

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