In a drawn-out hearing on Tuesday morning, a court rejected WNBA star Brittney Griner‘s appeal, upholding her 9-year prison sentence in Russia. The 32-year-old was present via videoconferencing from a cell but did not physically attend the proceedings. She appeared dejected the entire time as cameras captured her sitting and standing behind bars.
Griner and her legal team had hoped that authorities would reverse a prior decision in the case or, at the very least, lessen the sentence. They claimed the punishment wasn’t appropriate for the crime. However, Griner’s team had anticipated this result. Her attorneys acknowledged on Monday that they did not “expect any miracles to happen” in a statement.
Brittney Griner’s 9-Year Prison Sentence UPHELD In Russian Court
It is unknown if Griner will be able to appeal the ruling in the future. The basketball player, as we previously reported, has been detained in Russia since February after being charged with transporting hashish oil in her luggage through a Moscow airport.
She admitted guilt to the charges at her trial, but she adamantly maintained that she had no intention of breaking the law. She received her initial punishment in August. The United States claims that Griner was wrongfully detained, and several American officials claim that they offered Russia a sizable deal involving a prisoner swap in order to get Griner back home.
Following her conviction, President Joe Biden declared in a statement that he and his team would “continue to work tirelessly” to bring her back to American soil.
Of course, the irony of the story is that Americans are sitting in prisons across the United States for marijuana-related offenses but nothing is being done about that. Yet, Biden’s administration is working ‘tirelessly’ to get her out of prison. Why don’t we focus on the numerous people already in the states that are behind bars?
What do you think? Do you think she should have received a 9-year sentence and shouldn’t we focus on the Americans here that are behind bars for marijuana? Let us know in the comments below.
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