A Russian judge sentenced WNBA star player Brittney Griner to 9 years in prison on Thursday for traveling to Russia with cannabis oil in February.
The Russian court found Griner guilty of drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent. She was fined 1 million rubles, about $16,300 USD. The maximum sentence she faced was 10 years in prison.
Before her sentencing, Griner addressed the judge and said, in part:
“I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake and I hope that, in your ruling, that it doesn’t end my life here.”
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Following news of the verdict, President Biden called Griner’s 9-year sentence as “unacceptable” and said he is actively working to bring Griner back to the U.S.
Griner’s attorneys, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said her 9-year sentence was “absolutely unreasonable” and that they plan to file an appeal.
The judge’s ruling came nearly six months after Russian customs officials allegedly found less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in Griner’s luggage when she arrived in Moscow.
Experts have said the real intention of Russian courts was the serve Vladimir Putin’s desire to leverage Griner’s imprisonment for the release of Russian national prisoners. Putin has also been accused of using Griner to exploit America’s culture wars because she is Black and lesbian.
More about Griner’s imprisonment and case can be found here.
