A Russian court has dismissed basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug trafficking.
The court near Moscow upheld the verdict and prosecutors called it “fair”.
The two-time Olympic champion apologized via video link for her “honest mistake” during her appeal hearing, saying it was “very, very stressful”. Griner, 32, was convicted in August of smuggling and possessing cannabis oil.
The athlete’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, told the court: “No judge, hand on heart, will honestly say that Griner’s nine-year sentence is compatible with Russian criminal law.”
The White House called the trial a “sham”. In a statement, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Griner had been “wrongfully detained in intolerable circumstances” and confirmed that President Joe Biden had called for her immediate release
Also read: American Basketball Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges In Russian Court
A senior US diplomat who attended the hearing called the decision “exaggerated and disproportionate”.
The sports star spoke to the three-judge appeals court from his detention center in a town near Moscow.
“I really hope the court will adjust this verdict because it was very, very painful and very traumatic,” she told the court.
“People who committed more serious crimes received less than me,” she added.
Griner will serve his sentence in a penal colony. Considered one of the best female players in the world, she was detained at an airport near Moscow on February 17 when vaporizer cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
She had gone to Russia to play club basketball during the off-season in the United States.
Her case became the subject of high-profile diplomacy between the United States and Russia, relations of which collapsed after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
In August, the Kremlin raised the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia involving the basketball player.
Reports in US media suggest imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout – known as the Merchant of Death – could be handed over to Russian authorities by Washington as part of the deal.
