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A Russian tribunal connected Tuesday denied WNBA prima Brittney Griner’s entreaty and upheld her nine-year situation sentence connected cause charges.
Griner, 32, looked despondent arsenic she appeared astatine the hearing in the Moscow Regional Court via video league from the detention halfway wherever she has been held since her apprehension successful February. The jock is present expected to beryllium moved to a penal colony.
Griner’s condemnation successful August was decried by the United States, which has said the jock is being wrongfully detained. The denial of her entreaty volition spot hopes for Griner's merchandise displacement to the imaginable for a high-profile captive swap.
In a connection work retired successful court, Griner, a two-time Olympic golden medalist who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, said that she “did not mean to bash this,” but understood the charges brought against her. She said she hoped it would beryllium taken into relationship that she “did plead guilty” successful the case.
The jock said she hoped the tribunal would set her condemnation arsenic she described her clip down bars arsenic “stressful” and “traumatic.”
The WNBA prima had been “quite pessimistic astir the outcome” of the appeal up of Tuesday’s hearing, 1 of her attorneys, Maria Blagovolina, said Monday.
Griner had held anticipation determination would beryllium a simplification to her sentence, but did not judge the verdict would beryllium overruled, Blagovolina said connected MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
Griner, a two-time Olympic golden medalist who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was sentenced successful August to 9 years successful situation connected cause charges.
She was detained astatine Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport successful February, aft Russian authorities said they recovered vape canisters with cannabis lipid successful her luggage.
Griner pleaded guilty successful July but said that it was an accident, that she had brought them to Russia unintentionally and that she had packed hurriedly for a flight. Medical cannabis, which is amerciable successful Russia, is ineligible successful astir of the U.S.
U.S. officials accidental Griner is being wrongfully detained. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the judicial proceedings “largely shambolic” Monday.
“Wrongful detainees are by explanation wrongfully held. They are utilized arsenic governmental pawns, arsenic leverage,” Price said. “It is our extremity to spot them location arsenic soon arsenic we can.”
Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, has said Brittney Griner is being held hostage.
The U.S. has proposed a captive speech with Russia for the merchandise of Griner and different American, Paul Whelan, a firm enforcement who has been detained determination since 2018, 2 sources acquainted with the substance said. The woody would see the U.S.’s releasing imprisoned Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, the sources person said.
When she was detained, Griner had been successful Russia to play for a Russian Premier League women’s team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, arsenic she had done since 2014.
Lawyers for Griner filed an appeal successful August, aft she was sentenced.
In April, Russia released American Trevor Reed in exchange for the U.S.’s releasing Russian cause trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been sentenced to 20 years successful prison.
Reed, a erstwhile Marine, was sentenced to 9 years successful situation successful Russia successful 2020 aft authorities determination said helium assaulted a Russian constabulary serviceman aft a nighttime of drinking. Reed and his household person maintained his innocence.
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