A Russian court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by US basketball star Brittney Griner against her nine-year jail term for drugs charges.
Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport in February after airport officials discovered vape canisters and cannabis oil in her luggage. But news of her detainment didn’t break in the United States until March. She pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the country.
In August, a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison. Multiple news outlets reported that Griner’s lawyer had asked for a suspended sentence in Tuesday’s appeal but had said they weren’t expecting any “miracles.”
The court near Moscow upheld the sentence, with the state prosecutor calling it “fair”.
The double Olympic winner apologized for her “honest mistake” in her appeal hearing via video link, saying it had been “very, very stressful”.
Griner, 32, was convicted in August of smuggling and possessing cannabis oil.
It was not immediately clear whether all her legal routes had been exhausted. She is due to serve her sentence in a penal colony.
The sportswoman’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, said his team hoped that a prisoner exchange would be possible.
Meanwhile, in a statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated the White House’s position that Griner should be released immediately.
“In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan,” he said.
