Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Thursday.

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J. ustin Bieber is among famous faces expressing shock and dismay at the imprisonment of US basketball player Brittney Griner in Russia. The pop megastar took ...

“You don’t ever want to get caught up in the politics, They are gonna tell her like 10 years for a vape pen, watch.” Actress Farrow said the news was “heartbreaking”. Pinkett Smith wrote: “On the same day we got justice for Breonna (Taylor)… I find out that Brittney Griner just got nine years in Russia #FreeBrittney.”

The W.N.B.A. star was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, but her supporters insist they will do “whatever we can to get her home.”

The tense relationship between the United States and Russia has not eased in the months since Griner’s detention. She said the W.N.B.A. players’ public statements were “giving them a nod and saying they appreciated what they did.” She added: “I am asking that in honor of all our great experiences competing in Russia and around the world, out of love and humanity, that you show her mercy and understanding. “There’s no impetus for Russia to do anything immediately.” She said her initial excitement over a possible prisoner swap for Griner dissipated after Thursday’s verdict. I’d like to thank you for reading The Times and encourage you to support journalism like this by becoming a subscriber. Doing so will give you access to the work of over 1,700 journalists whose mission is to cover the world and make sure you have accurate and impartial information on the most important topics of the day. In both the United States and Russia, Griner’s teammates and coaches have offered their support. Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 when Russian customs officials at an airport near Moscow said they had found hashish oil, a cannabis derivative, in a vape pen in her luggage. After U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken publicly said that the United States had offered Russia a deal, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters that prisoner swaps were negotiated quietly. Whelan was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Last week, the U.S. State Department said it had made a “ substantial” offer to the Russian government for Griner and Paul N. Whelan, an American who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

After a Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for a drug smuggling conviction on Thursday, the player's supporters, ...

During the trial, the lawyers argued that Griner's detention was handled improperly. The US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained. In addition to her nine-year sentence, Griner must pay a fine of 1 million rubles, which is roughly $16,400. "I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom." Her lawyers had hoped that Griner's guilty plea and statements of remorse would result in a more lenient sentence. of cannabis oil in her luggage as she traveled through a Moscow airport on February 17.

The US and Russia have indicated they are ready to hold talks over a prisoner swap, a day after basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted of drug ...

Earlier Friday, a US State Department official told reporters there had been no "serious response" from Russia on a proposed swap. Prior to the verdict on Thursday, Griner apologized to the court and asked for leniency in an emotional speech. And we'll be pursuing that," Blinken told reporters at a press briefing.

Brittney Griner, who was in Russia to play for a local team during the WNBA off-season, was detained over vape carriages containing cannabis oil in her ...

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Russia appears set to resume ground offensives, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu telling troops on Saturday to intensify attacks “in all operational sectors” of Ukraine.

After Griner received nine-year prison sentence on drug charges, Sergei Lavrov warns Russia won't tolerate 'megaphone diplomacy'

“These swaps will never happen if we start discussing any nuances of the exchange in the press,” he told reporters on Friday. “I know everybody keeps talking about ‘political pawn’ and ‘politics’, but I hope that is far from this courtroom,” Griner said in a closing statement on Thursday. But Lavrov also warned that Russia would not respond to “megaphone diplomacy”, demanding that any negotiations be carried out discreetly.

Russian prosecutors have asked for the US basketball player Brittney Griner to be sentenced to nine and a half years in prison, as the Kremlin wraps up her ...

Police special forces with bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled the small building and court officials said they would allow more cameras into the room if a verdict was delivered. The exchange at an airfield in Turkey resembled a scene from a cold war thriller, as the two men walked past each other to board planes back to their respective countries. Prosecutors in the Russian court said Griner’s arrest on drug charges was “fully proven” and demanded she serve nearly a decade in a high-security prison and pay a large fine.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in Moscow in February after vape cartridges with cannabis oil were found in her luggage.

Russian media have speculated repeatedly that Griner could be swapped for Bout, nicknamed 'the Merchant of Death', who is serving a 25-year sentence in the US after being convicted of conspiracy to kill US citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organisation. On July 27, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home Griner and Whelan in a sharp reversal of previous policy. Her lawyers introduced evidence that Griner was using the medicinal cannabis for chronic pain and injuries sustained during her career and included a letter from her doctor. She was the No 1 pick by Phoenix in the 2013 draft. ... It is our hope that we are near the end of this process of finally bringing BG home." Her plight has been highlighted by supporters at home, including top athletes, especially after little news emerged about her initial weeks of detention in Russia, where she had limited access to US diplomats. The US State Department had earlier declared Griner to be "wrongfully detained" - a charge that Russia has sharply rejected. She also said she was not informed of her rights. Griner has 10 days to appeal, and her lawyers say they expect a hearing in Moscow regional court next week. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last month the "necessary judicial procedures" must be completed before other steps can be taken. Defence attorney Maria Blagovolina told reporters later that Griner was "very upset, very stressed. It's a difficult time for her".

I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my life”, Griner tells court.

“I remember vividly coming out of the gym and all the little girls that were in the stands there waiting on me, and that’s what kept making me come back here.” Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko argued that Ms Griner packed the cannabis oil deliberately. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. “I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them”, Ms Griner said, according to the Associated Press. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”

Russian prosecutors have asked a court to sentence Brittney Griner to 9½ years in prison during closing arguments in her cannabis possession trial.

They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through "quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information." "I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," Griner said, her voice cracking. Any sentence is considered a formality by experts, as the length of her detainment will be determined by negotiations on a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. They have presented character witnesses from the Yekaterinburg team and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment. Boykov also emphasized Griner's role in helping Yekaterinburg win multiple championships, noting that she was loved and admired by her teammates. The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago.

The detained WNBA star Brittney Griner apologized and asked for leniency in an emotional speech to a Russian courtroom in her drug-smuggling trial Thursday ...

Blagovolina also told CNN her team's experts identified "a few defects" in the machines used to measure the substance. Those rights would include access to an attorney once she was detained and the right to know what she was suspected of. "To hear her words and her apologies. Boykov also argued Griner had no opportunity to properly examine the court documents. All this confirms the complete absence of intent in her actions, Blagovolina argued. "What Vladimir Putin is trying to do is basically drive up the bargaining price of Ms. Griner." Near the end of the tribute, spectators started chanting, "Bring her home! We are BG," the statement reads. He said the US is working to bring home Griner and Paul Whelan, an American citizen who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018. The defense team is hopeful that Griner will be able to talk to her family next week. Blagovolina added that Griner will return to the detention center where she is being held. Judge Anna Sotnikova of the Khimki city court delivered the sentence and fined Griner 1 million rubles, or about $16,400.

Brittney Griner has been convicted in a Russian court of smuggling drugs with criminal intent and has been sentenced to nine years in prison as Joe Biden ...

Tensions between Russia and the West are at a high amid the former's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “I want to also apologise to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organisation back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.” She said court: “I want to apologise to my team-mates, my club, my fans for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them.

Griner, 31, admitted possessing cannabis oil but told the court she made an "honest mistake". But the court convicted her of smuggling and possessing narcotics, ...

"It's a serious proposal. When we saw Brittney on Tuesday, we told her, 'See you on Thursday'. She said, 'See you on doomsday'. So it looks like she was right." We urge them to accept it. Griner also said she had received neither an explanation of her rights nor access to a lawyer in the initial hours of her detention, and that she had to use a translation app on her phone to communicate. "She can hardly talk. She had come to Russia to play club basketball during the US off-season.

Griner sentenced and fined 1m roubles in politically charged verdict that could lead to prisoner swap with the US.

“I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. “I never meant to hurt anybody,” Griner said in her closing statement. He claimed that the US said Russia offered a trade for Bout in 2020 shortly after Whelan’s conviction on spying charges. US officials say Russia wants to swap Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US marine arrested on spying charges in 2020, for the convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. The exchange at an airfield in Turkey recalled a cold war thriller, as the two men walked past each other to board planes back to their respective countries. Griner’s defence team said they were “disappointed” by the verdict and would appeal.

A Russian court on Thursday sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling, after Russia made a “bad faith” ...

Her attorneys have argued she did not intend to break the law, showing evidence of her approval for medical marijuana use in the U.S. All use of cannabis is illegal in Russia. Griner testified before the court for the first time last week, saying she was not read her rights after being arrested, was not offered an attorney and was forced to sign papers without a translation. After pleas from Griner, her wife and other prominent figures, including NBA star Lebron James, U.S. officials announced last week they had proposed a prisoner swap in exchange for Griner, reportedly offering Bout—who has been serving a 25-year jail sentence—in exchange for Griner and Whelan, a former marine who was arrested in Moscow in 2018. “I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom.”

Griner said she had no intent to break Russian law by bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into Moscow.

They urged Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information”. She declined to elaborate. The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago. She said she used it only in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. Griner told the court: “I want to apologise to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them. “I want to also apologise to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organisation back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”

The prosecutors had requested a prison sentence of nine years and six months after Griner pleaded guilty on drug smuggling charges. Attorneys for the basketball ...

Brittney Griner has been found guilty of drug possession and smuggling and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, an expected conclusion to her ...

He came home this April after the countries agreed to a prisoner swap that American officials sought when Reed was reported to be in poor health. Griner's agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas tweeted that the sentence "was severe by Russian legal standards and goes to prove what we have known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political pawn." I never meant to break any laws here," she said. "Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney," Biden said. "But I had no intent to break any Russian laws." "I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. Under Russian law, Griner has 10 days to appeal, and her lawyers said they expect a hearing in Moscow regional court next week. But she and her supporters have also been aware that Russia was not going to move forward with a trade that could bring her home until her trial was completed. I understand everything that's being said against me, the charges that are against me, and that is why I pled guilty," Griner said, addressing the judge through an interpreter from her defendant's cage. Defense attorney Maria Blagovolina told reporters later that Griner was "very upset, very stressed. It's a difficult time for her."