Brittney Griner’s appeal rejected by Russian court - The Washington Post

The U.S. authorities characterizes her apprehension arsenic a “wrongful detainment.”

Griner appeared successful tribunal via video nexus from detention extracurricular Moscow connected Tuesday. Her lawyers asked for a suspended sentence, portion Russian prosecutors maintained that 9½ years, just shy of the maximum of 10 years, is fair. Griner’s attorneys earlier said she wasn’t expecting “miracles.”

“We are precise disappointed,” Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, Griner’s attorneys, said successful a statement. “We inactive deliberation the punishment is excessive and contradicts to the existing tribunal practice.”

Griner addressed the tribunal done an interpreter. “I privation to apologize for this mistake,” she said. “I did not mean to bash this, but I recognize the charges brought against me,” adding that she hoped that her blameworthy plea was taken into account.

Griner’s attorneys said they would confer with their lawsuit astir the anticipation of further appeals, and that they intended to marque usage of “all the disposable ineligible tools.” Once the entreaty process is over, she is acceptable to beryllium transferred to a penal colony.

Russia has 1 of the highest incarceration rates successful Europe. Most of its situation facilities are known arsenic penal colonies, successful which prisoners are required to execute labor. Investigations by Russian media outlets person brought to airy captive maltreatment successful such facilities.

The White House condemned the court’s determination Tuesday. “We are alert of the quality retired of Russia that Brittney Griner volition proceed to beryllium wrongfully detained nether intolerable circumstances aft having to acquisition different sham judicial proceeding today,” U.S. nationalist information advisor Jake Sullivan said successful a statement. “President Biden has been precise wide that Brittney should beryllium released immediately.”

One way to resoluteness her concern — and that of Paul Whelan, a erstwhile U.S. Marine besides imprisoned successful Russia — could beryllium an speech of prisoners. Griner’s biggest fearfulness is that she is not exchanged and volition person to service the full condemnation successful Russia, her lawyers said.

“In caller weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to prosecute with Russia done each disposable transmission and marque each effort to bring location Brittney arsenic good arsenic to enactment and advocator for different Americans detained successful Russia, including chap wrongful detainee Paul Whelan,” Sullivan said.

In August, Russia acknowledged for the archetypal clip that negotiations were underway to merchandise Griner and Whelan, but did not corroborate media reports indicating a imaginable swap for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trader serving a 25-year condemnation successful the United States.

Griner, a 6-foot-9 halfway with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic golden medalist, was detained Feb. 17 trying to participate Russia astatine the Sheremetyevo International Airport, adjacent Moscow, wherever she plays during the WNBA offseason. She turned 32 a week agone portion successful prison, an juncture household and friends utilized to telephone for her merchandise and harmless instrumentality to the United States.

Tuesday’s ruling came successful the aftermath of a Moscow court’s determination Monday to cull the entreaty of Russian absorption person Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was seeking to overturn the support of his pretrial detention. He has been charged with spreading mendacious information, pursuing disapproval of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, said successful an interview with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King connected Oct. 6 that she was capable to talk to the hoops prima doubly via telephone since her imprisonment, and that the 2nd telephone telephone was “disturbing,” leaving her successful tears for days.

“It was the astir disturbing telephone telephone I’ve ever experienced,” Cherelle Griner said. “You could perceive that she was not okay.”

Annabelle Timsit contributed to this report.