Russian court sets date for Brittney Griner appeal hearing

Russian court sets date for Brittney Griner appeal hearing against her nine-year prison sentence

Good afternoon. So today's sentencing is *** reminder of what the world already knew. Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittany. She never should have had to endure *** trial in the first place. We have repeatedly called for Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones friends and teammates. Under President Biden's direction, the U. S. Government continues to work aggressively pursuing every avenue to bring home Brittany, paul Whelan and every american held hostage and wrongfully detained around the world. As you all know, we have made *** substantial offer to bring her and paul Whelan home. We urge Russia to accept that proposal. I'm not able to share more publicly at this time, but we are willing to take every step necessary to bring home our people as we demonstrated with Trevor reed and that's what we're going to do here. I can assure you this is something the president and our national security team are focused on every single day. The President receives regular updates about the status of our negotiations to secure Brittany's release, as well as the release of paul Whelan and other U. S. Nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world.

Updated: 12:28 PM CDT Oct 3, 2022

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Russian court sets date for Brittney Griner appeal hearing against her nine-year prison sentence

Updated: 12:28 PM CDT Oct 3, 2022

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Video above: White House 'willing to take every step' to bring Griner homeA Russian court on Monday set Oct. 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner's appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal.Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.Her February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, was returning to Russia, where she played during the U.S. league's offseason.The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner's lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be "wrongfully detained" — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.Video below: Griner sentenced to 9 years in RussiaReflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a "substantial proposal" to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.Blinken didn't elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the "merchant of death."The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.

Video above: White House 'willing to take every step' to bring Griner home

A Russian court on Monday set Oct. 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner's appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal.

Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.

Her February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, was returning to Russia, where she played during the U.S. league's offseason.

The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner's lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.

Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be "wrongfully detained" — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.

Video below: Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russia

Reflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a "substantial proposal" to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.

Blinken didn't elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the "merchant of death."

The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.

Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.

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