After a long and mediatic legal process, the star player of the phoenixmercury of the WNBA, Brittney Grinerwas found guilty of the crimes of drug possession and smuggling, as well as sentenced to 9.5 years in prison in Russia.
The decision was made in a court in Moscow, where the judge handed down the sentence, after the basketball player was arrested on February 17 at the airport in the Russian capital, with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in your luggage.
According to the information published by the ESPN network, the sentence has been a mere formality, since various experts assure that the United States will continue negotiating for his release, through an exchange of prisoners with Russia.
Joe Biden spoke
The president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, issued a statement condemning the punishment imposed on the basketball player, and demanding his immediate release.
“Today, US citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is yet another reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. She is unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately”, reads part of the statement.
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With almost 6 months detained in Russia, Griner will still have to continue waiting to find out what her future holds, after having made what she called an ‘honest mistake’, previously assuring the judge that it was never her intention to violate any law.
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