A Russian court on Tuesday upheld the nine-year prison sentence for American basketball star Brittney Griner, denying her appeal following her conviction on drug smuggling charges in a case that has further soured U.S.-Russian relations.
Ms. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, was arrested Feb. 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport after Russian authorities said she had vape cartridges containing illegal cannabis oil inside her luggage. She was later convicted and sentenced in a criminal trial that U.S. officials said was a “sham from the start.”
She pleaded guilty to the charges but said she did not intend to smuggle drugs while packing hastily for the flight. Her defense lawyers presented doctors’ notes authorizing her to use medical marijuana, which is illegal in Russia.
“The verdict of Moscow’s Khimki City Court with respect to Brittney Griner shall be changed to give credit for the time spent in the pretrial detention unit. The rest of the verdict shall be left unchanged. The appeal of the defense has been dismissed,” according to the verdict issued by a trio of judges, the official Russian Tass news service reported Tuesday.
In a statement, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House condemned the decision by the Moscow Regional Court upholding the sentence against Ms. Griner, who was traveling to Russia to play for a local team in Yekaterinburg.
“Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today,” Mr. Sullivan said. “President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately.”
In remarks to reporters at a White House COVID-19 vaccination event, Mr. Biden said U.S. officials are “in constant contact with Russian authorities to get Brittney and others out.”
“So far we’ve not been meeting with much positive response,” he added, “but we’re not stopping.”
Ms. Griner, 32, unsuccessfully pleaded for leniency in a video link to the regional court.
“I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence because it has been very, very stressful and very traumatic,” she said.
Her attorneys still have the right to appeal the sentence to a higher court.
The U.S. government continues to engage with Russia “through every available channel” to bring home Ms. Griner and to advocate for other Americans now detained in Russia, including Paul Whelan, a security executive sentenced to 16 years in prison after being accused of espionage, White House officials said.
The Biden administration has proposed a prisoner swap that would result in the release of Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan, reportedly in exchange for the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer now serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison.
Mr. Sullivan said the Biden administration is in regular touch with representatives of Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan’s families.
“We continue to admire their courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances,” he said.
— Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this report.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.