Following a politically charged trial that took place in the midst of escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine and could result in a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the two major world powers, American basketball star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug possession on Thursday and given a nine-year prison sentence in Russia.
The two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, Brittney Griner, 31, listened blankly as an interpreter interpreted the judge’s decision. Additionally, the judge imposed a 1 million ruble ($16,000) fine.
“I never meant to hurt anybody to put in jeopardy the Russian population or violate any Russian laws. I made an honest mistake and I hope that your ruling, that it doesn’t end my life here,” Griner told the court earlier Thursday, apologizing to her family, her teammates, her fans, and the Russian people.
“I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom… I hope you take into account all the documents, all the character lists that everybody has sent in on my behalf… This is my second home, and all I wanted to do was just win championships and make them proud,” she said.
The verdict and punishment were criticized by U.S. President Joe Biden as being “unacceptable.”
“I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates,” Biden said, adding that he would continue to work to bring home Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction.
“I love my family,” Griner said to the media as she was led from the court following the judgment. Her attorneys said that she was incredibly angry, stressed, and unable to speak.
Earlier in the session, with a conviction all but certain, an emotional Griner made a final appeal to the court for leniency. She said that when she traveled to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg, she had no intention of breaking the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil.
“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,” 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.”
The 31-year-old Griner might spend up to 10 years in prison under Russian law, but judges have a lot of discretion in their decisions.
If she is not released, focus will shift to the potential for a risky prisoner swap that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested to his Russian colleague last week.
Yekaterinburg, a city located east of the Ural Mountains, has, according to Griner, become her “second home.”
“I had no idea that the team, the cities, the fans, my teammates would make such a great impression on me over the 6 1/2 years that I spent here,” she said. “I remember vividly coming out of the gym and all the little girls that were in the stands there waiting on me, and that’s what kept making me come back here.”
Griner intentionally packaged the cannabis oil, according to prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko, who also sought the court to impose a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,700) on top of the prison term.
Attorneys for the two-time Olympic gold medalist and center for the Phoenix Mercury have attempted to support Griner’s claim that she did not intend to commit a crime and that the canisters accidentally fell into her luggage. They provided character witnesses from the WNBA team she plays for in Yekaterinburg as well as written testimony from a physician who claimed to have prescribed cannabis to the basketball player to relieve pain related to injuries experienced during her playing career.
Maria Blagovolina, her attorney, maintained that Griner only used marijuana in Arizona, where it is lawful to use it for medical purposes.
She underlined that Griner was hurriedly packing after a taxing flight and was dealing with COVID-19’s aftereffects. Additionally, Blagovolina drew attention to the fact that the examination of the marijuana found in Griner’s possession was incorrect and inconsistent with the law.
Blagovolina requested that Griner be exonerated, pointing out that she had no prior convictions and praising her contribution to “the development of Russian basketball.”
Alexander Boykov, a different defense lawyer, highlighted Griner’s contribution to helping her Yekaterinburg team win several titles and noted how much her teammates respected and adored her. A conviction, he said to the judge, would harm Russia’s efforts to develop its national sports and cast doubt on Moscow’s push for the depoliticization of sports.
Boykov added that even after her arrest, Griner won the sympathy of both her guards and prison inmates, who supported her by shouting, “Brittney, everything will be OK!” when she went on walks at the jail.
The State Department declared her to have been “wrongfully imprisoned” before her trial began in July, transferring her case under the control of its special presidential envoy for hostage matters, who serves as the nation’s top hostage negotiator.
Then, in an unexpected move last week, Blinken talked to Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, pleading with him to accept a settlement that would see Griner and Whelan set free.
Since Russia sent soldiers into Ukraine more than five months ago, the Lavrov-Blinken call represented the highest-level of communication between Washington and Moscow that is publicly known. The U.S.’s efforts to isolate the Kremlin are at conflict with the direct outreach regarding Griner.
According to those who are familiar with the proposal, Griner and Whelan would be exchanged for infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is presently spending time in a US prison. It highlights the public pressure the White House has experienced in order to secure Griner’s release.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, claimed on Monday that Russia had responded to the American government’s offer in “bad faith,” making a counteroffer that American officials didn’t take seriously. She didn’t go into more detail.
U.S. statements regarding the case have been mocked by Russian officials, who claim they display a disregard for Russian law. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.”
The WNBA athlete expressed her fear of being detained in Russia “forever” in a handwritten letter she delivered to the White House last month.
According to Griner’s wife Cherelle, as she read the letter, she could sense the terror that Griner was feeling.
“She is probably the strongest person that I know, so she doesn’t say words like that lightly. That means she truly is terrified that she may never see us again. You know, I share those same sentiments,” Cherelle said.