A Russian court has found American WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty and sentenced her to nine years in a penal colony for carrying cannabis oil into the country. Last month, Griner pleaded guilty to the charges. The US State Department says the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury player, who was arrested in February at Moscow airport, has been wrongfully detained and used as a political pawn amid Russia’s deteriorating relations with the West. In recent weeks, the Biden administration reportedly offered to exchange Viktor Bout — a Russian arms dealer known as “the Merchant of Death” currently serving a 25-year sentence in the US — in exchange for the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US marine who has been locked up in Russia since 2018 for alleged spying. After the verdict was handed down, President Biden said that his “administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely.” Talks have been going on behind the scenes about the possible swap, but Putin has so far remained mum on whether he’ll accept the deal.
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Russian court sentences Griner to 9 years
WNBA star Brittany Griner in a Russian prison cell
Reuters
By Tracy MoranAugust 04, 2022
Tracy Moran
Tracy Moran was a former managing editor at GZERO Media. Tracy has 20+ years of experience as a print and digital journalist, having worked for USA Today, Deutsche Welle, OZY, and newspapers and digital outlets in the UK and Germany. She lived in Europe for several years and now lives with her family near Washington, DC. Tracy earned her Master's in international affairs from George Washington University, where she specialized in West European and Middle Eastern politics.
