First modification:
A Russian court denied this October 25 the appeal filed by the American basketball star Brittney Griner, which sought to achieve a reduction or total acquittal of the sentence to which she was sentenced after being found at the Moscow airport with cartridges that contained cannabis oil. Griner’s case has been interpreted as a political issue because it comes amid tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Justice rejected the appeal presented by the defense of the basketball player Brittney Griner and kept in force the sentence of nine years in prison, on charges of possession and smuggling of drugs, which had been imposed on August 4.
The defense of the 32-year-old athlete reacted to the sentence and assured that they still have two judicial instances to which they can go, without giving further details about whether they will access the resources.
The judicial college of the Moscow Region Court determined that the sentence against the American is legal. The only gain for Griner during this hearing is that each day she has spent in pretrial detention will be counted as one and a half days of her total sentence.
“The verdict was confirmed without changes, except for the time he served in preventive detention, otherwise the sentence remains unchanged,” says the ruling issued by the judge in the case.
The two-time Olympic medalist will likely be transferred to a women’s prison over the next few days to serve the remaining eight years in prison. Griner learned the news through a video conference held in the city of Krasnogorsk.
“Nine years in prison is too much (…) and people who commit much more terrible crimes receive lesser sentences. I ask that the sentence be reviewed. I am sorry for my mistake. I am guilty, but there was no bad intention. I hope the court will have it into account,” Griner said during his speaking time on Tuesday.
Russian law severely punishes the possession of cannabis
During the hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office had requested to uphold the sentence that Griner’s defenders had asked the Court to reduce or completely acquit. “We believe that the Khimki Court wrongly established criminal intent. Griner lacked it,” said one of the athlete’s lawyers.
“She fully accepted her guilt and the court only partially considered her admission of guilt,” the lawyer added.
The defense has argued that the August ruling is unfair and “extraordinarily harsh” because of the small amount of cannabis Griner was caught with in February. Lawyers have highlighted her sporting achievements and her humanitarian activities as part of the arguments for the defense.
Last August, the Khimki court found the athlete “guilty of committing the crime” stipulated by articles 228 and 229.1 of the Russian penal code. Despite being a medical cannabis oil, which according to Griner was used for her sports injuries, the use of marijuana, both medicinal and recreational, is a serious crime in Russia.
The United States describes the sentence against Griner as “false” and “exaggerated”
Since the process against the athlete began, her case has been classified as “political”, since she was arrested on February 17, just a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and with it the escalation of tensions in relations between Washington and Moscow.
Elizabeth Rood, a negotiator appointed by the US embassy in Russia, who attended the hearing on Tuesday, said that it is an exaggerated condemnation and that it has been taken as a political tool by the Kremlin.
The White House reacted to this latest decision, assuring that it is a “false trial” after requesting the “immediate release” of the American.
“We are aware of the news from Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be unjustly detained in intolerable circumstances after having to undergo yet another bogus judicial proceeding today,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
Sullivan recalled that President Joe Biden is “willing to go to any lengths and make the tough decisions to bring Americans home.” On different occasions, the US president has insistently requested the release of the basketball star.
For his part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the exchange of Griner and Paul Whelan, a 16-year prisoner for espionage, for the Russian “merchant of death”, Victor But, who has been detained in a US prison for 25 years.
Washington rejected Moscow’s counterproposal, which sought to include a second Russian prisoner in the exchange, the Chechen, Vadím Krásikov, according to the US network ”.
With EFE and Reuters
