Brittney Griner wiki
Brittney Griner Biography
Who is Brittney Griner?
BRITTNEY Griner has been convicted of allegedly smuggling drugs into Russia and is sentenced to nine years in prison.
The Phoenix Mercury star has been jailed in Russia since February after being arrested at Moscow airport when a scanner allegedly revealed that she had cartridges containing “liquid with hashish oil” in her luggage.
A Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay one million rubles ($16,590) in fines.
Before his guilty verdict, Griner apologized in court, saying he made an “honest mistake.”
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for the mistake I made and the embarrassment I caused them,” Griner said, her voice breaking.
“I also want to apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back home.
Griner’s verdict comes amid recent efforts by the Biden administration to secure his release by offering a prisoner swap of WNBA star and former US Marine Paul Whelan for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The White House has reportedly been working on a deal to release the two US citizens in exchange for Bout, dubbed the “merchant of death.”
Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in the states after being convicted in federal court in 2011 of conspiring to kill US citizens and officials.
Griner’s trial will have to conclude before a deal can be finalized, US officials familiar with the Russian judicial system said.
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On the other hand, Russia has held Whelan for alleged espionage since 2018.
Russian authorities said Whelan had confidential documents in his hotel room while visiting the country to attend his friend’s wedding and received a 16-year sentence.
Whelan claimed his arrest was a political stunt, according to ABC News, saying, “The guards call me a ‘tourist.’”
“We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate his release,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in remarks at the State Department.
Blinken added that he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to present the proposal.
On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Russia had responded in “bad faith” to the US government’s offer, a counteroffer that US officials do not consider serious. However, she declined to give any further details.
Duncan Levin, a prominent defense attorney and former Manhattan and federal prosecutor, said the US justice system is flawed, but it remains a due process system in the face of the “sham” that exists in Russia.
“A prisoner exchange with Russia is like negotiating with a kidnapper,” Levin told The Sun. “This is an international relations dance rather than something that takes place in court.”
Both Griner’s and Whelan’s families have called on the White House to get their loved ones out of Russian jails.
Source: https://wikisoon.com/
