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As the US government works to obtain Brittney Griner's release, a Russian court on Thursday found her guilty of drug-related offenses and sentenced her to nine years of prison.
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been held in Moscow since February, was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony by a Russian court on drug allegations.
The guilty decision, which most analysts thought was predetermined in a court system where offenders are seldom acquitted, leaves Griner's fate up to diplomatic bickering between Russia and the United States.
Brittney Griner's Reaction to Russian Court's Ruling
Griner's devastated expression was visible when the judge read the judgment and said the maximum punishment in a correctional colony, as though she knew her fate in the Russian court.
The governments have discussed the idea of a prisoner swap in which Griner would be returned in exchange for one of the world's most prominent arms traffickers. Officials in the United States claim that Griner was wrongfully imprisoned and held as a political bargaining tool.
President Joe Biden, who termed the sentence unacceptable, is now faced with a tough decision: stick to his plan to exchange the arms trader Viktor Bout for Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, or sweeten the offer, according to New York Times.
Griner, 31, was detained in February at a Russian airport on suspicion of importing vape cartridges laced with cannabis oil.
The offense was punishable by up to ten years in jail under Russian law. During closing arguments, Russian prosecutors urged the court to sentence her to 9 and a half years in jail and impose a fine of one million rubles.
Griner pled guilty to the charges this month but said she unintentionally placed the cannabis canisters in her bag because she was in a rush. The court's judgment comes only one week after the Biden administration announced it made an offer to the Russian government for Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan's release. President Joe Biden issued a statement Thursday calling the jail term "awful" and demanding Griner's immediate release.
Griner wrote a letter to Biden seeking direct assistance with her case days before pleading guilty last month. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris contacted the WNBA star's wife, Cherelle Griner, after receiving the letter. Biden also penned a letter to Griner, which was hand-delivered in Moscow by US diplomats.
According to a White House readout of the discussion, Biden reassured her wife that he was trying to obtain Griner's release as soon as feasible. In the conversation, he also stated that he is trying to free Whelan, who is serving a 16-year term in Russia.
Whelan was detained in 2018 on suspicion of spying for the United States. According to his brother, David Whelan, Whelan was in Russia at the time of his detention to attend a wedding. Last month, Biden issued an executive order that would broaden the administration's arsenal of remedies for deterring hostage-taking and unjust imprisonment of US citizens, as per CNBC.
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US Is Expected To Offer Prison Swap Next Week
Brittney Griner is set to be switched for the 'Merchant of Death' arms dealer by America within weeks, as Joe Biden works to overturn her nine-year jail term. For weeks, there has been widespread suspicion that the White House was planning to broker a trade involving Griner and Paul Whelan in return for Viktor Bout.
The Russians declined to reach an agreement before Griner's sentencing, claiming the necessity for due process. Now, Biden is racing to get Griner released, despite mounting public outcry from Griner's friends in sports and Hollywood.
According to a source close to the continuing discussions, a deal to swap Griner for Bout is now more possible than ever and could be concluded within a month, provided there are no delays.
Griner's legal team has ten days to submit an appeal. They estimated that it would only take a few more weeks after that. However, the Russians may not be as fast to acquiesce as Biden expects.
The inclusion of Paul Whelan in the transaction is currently unknown. The United States had been pressing for a solution that included both Griner and Whelan. Their influence is weakened now that she has been convicted in a Russian court of law, Daily Mail reported.
Related Article: Donald Trump Blasts Biden Administration's Idea of Prisoner Swap with Russia Amid Brittney Griner's Case
