Lawyers for Brittney Griner filed an appeal for the WNBA star’s nine-year conviction nearly two weeks after she was found guilty of smuggling drugs into Russia.
Griner, 31, was found guilty on Aug. 4 on drug-smuggling charges and was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony coupled with a $16,300 fine. However, the U.S. State Department has maintained Griner was wrongfully detained, accusing the Kremlin of holding her prisoner as a political pawn amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
PUTIN WANTS TO BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH BIDEN ON GRINER PRISONER SWAP
The basketball star’s appeal, reported by Russian outlets on Monday, comes amid talks of a prisoner swap after Russia indicated earlier this month it would be open to a private discussion between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The basketball star was initially detained in February, but Russian officials said the legal fight has to be concluded before discussing a prisoner exchange. The swap could include talks to free Paul Whelan, a former Marine who has been held in Russian detention since 2018 and was convicted in 2020 on espionage charges, and a Russian arms dealer, according to reports.
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Griner had pleaded guilty to the charges, hoping her statements of remorse would sway the judge to give her a more lenient sentence. She testified she uses cannabis oil in the U.S. for chronic pain but knew that carrying cannabis to Russia was illegal.
