Brittney Griner

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 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."

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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.

US President Joe Biden called on Russia to release the athlete immediately so that she could be with her "her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates”.

“I believe every word that she said to him, he understood and he sees her as a person. For the latest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, be sure to visit starobserver.com.au daily. You can also read our latest magazines or Join us on our Griner is one of 11 players to have won an Olympic gold medal, WNBA title, Women’s Basketball World Cup crown and US college championship. Again, like I said, just be who you are,” Griner said. Brittney’s wife Cherelle hasn’t issued a statement yet.

The White House has urged Russia to accept its offer of a deal for the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

That means she truly is terrified that she may never see us again. You know, I share those same sentiments," Cherelle said. Blinken has said Washington put forward a "substantial proposal" for the exchange of Griner and Whelan. In a handwritten letter from Griner that was delivered to the White House last month, the WNBA player wrote how terrified she is that she may be imprisoned in Russia "forever." The White House has urged Russia to accept its offer of a deal for the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. Russia said Friday it was "ready to discuss" a prisoner swap with Washington at the presidential level, a day after the drug conviction of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner.

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.

The W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner's friends and colleagues expressed support and sadness for her after a Russian court found her guilty of attempting to ...

“It makes me sick that that was the decision,” Jackson said. 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. I’d like to thank you for reading The Times and encourage you to support journalism like this by becoming a subscriber. On Aug. 4, she was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. Dijonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun tweeted “praying so hard for BG.” “Just really feeling sad and feeling sick for Brittney and hoping that she gets home as soon as possible,” said Breanna Stewart, a four-time W.N.B.A. All-Star who had played with Griner on the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg since 2020. Debbie Jackson, Griner’s high school basketball coach, held back tears after learning of Griner’s verdict. Her trial began on July 1 and the conviction had been widely expected. In February, Russian authorities detained Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, on drug charges, after she was stopped at an airport near Moscow. Since then, her detention has been repeatedly extended. Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17, when Russian customs officials at an airport near Moscow said they found hashish oil in vape cartridges in her luggage. Ms. Griner’s trial began on July 1; she pleaded guilty. The W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner’s friends and colleagues expressed support and sadness for her after a Russian court found her guilty of attempting to smuggle illegal narcotics into Russia and sentenced her to nine years in a penal colony.

Brittney Griner's fate could depend on a man imprisoned thousands of kilometres away — an international arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" who could ...

Why should we keep him in our jails and pay for the cost of that? "He provided sort of a one-stop shopping network. "And so the Russians have a lot of leverage here, they have a lot of power, they are going to want to milk this situation for everything they've got." "It might be useful to convince or persuade some faction in the Russian government to take the deal or to put someone in a corner in terms of the negotiation," Dr Gilbert said. Born in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, he speaks at least six languages and attended a military languages school known to be a "feeder" to Russian intelligence services. Two years later he was extradited to the US, where he was found guilty of conspiring to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons to a terrorist organisation to be used to kill Americans in Columbia.

In pleading guilty to charges of illegal drug possession and smuggling, American basketball star Brittney Griner was bowing to the reality that, ...

In that sense, swapping Mr. Bout for Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan is troubling because it implies equivalence between their bogus or exaggerated offenses and the Russian’s real ones. The risk is that if Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan are essentially Mr. Putin’s hostages, which they are, then trading for them simply encourages him to engage in more hostage-taking. The practical question that remains is how to obtain freedom for wrongfully detained Americans at the minimum price, politically and ethically. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has publicly told Moscow the United States would be willing to negotiate for her release, an offer that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accepted Friday. In private, U.S. officials have floated a deal in which the Russians would send home Ms. Griner and another wrongfully detained American, Paul Whelan, in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian with ties to that country’s intelligence apparatus, who is doing time in federal prison and who trafficked weapons. But those deals have happened, too: In 2020, the Trump administration approved Oman’s release of nearly 300 Yemeni Houthi rebels in return for two Americans being held hostage by that Iranian-backed group. In pleading guilty to charges of illegal drug possession and smuggling, American basketball star Brittney Griner was bowing to the reality that, in Russian courts, victory for the prosecution is a foregone conclusion.

U.S. officials and analysts had been resigned to a guilty verdict for Ms. Griner, a basketball star who plays for a Russian team during the W.N.B.A. off-season.

But the cold reality of her sentence on a drug charge was a shock and renewed calls for Mr. Biden to secure her release — even as critics fumed that offering to swap prisoners with Moscow rewards Russian hostage-taking. And this just puts a target on the back of every American out there.” And former President Donald J. Trump, who when in office prided himself on freeing detained Americans abroad, slammed the proposed deal in crude terms. Her wife, Cherelle Griner, has made public pleas for Mr. Biden to cut a deal with Mr. Putin as soon as possible. The White House would not say how Mr. Biden might achieve that goal, however. It’s about simultaneously raising the pain for him.” He could seek new ways to make Mr. Putin suffer. “We think it’s important for their families to know how hard we’re working on this.” That was before Mr. Biden’s proposal to free Mr. Bout became public. On Aug. 4, she was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. On Friday, Mr. Lavrov told reporters that the two nations would continue discussing the issue through established channels. But it appeared to leave the Kremlin unmoved.

The Russian trial of US basketball star Brittney Griner concluded today; she was handed an eight-year sentence on cannabis charges that Washington considers ...

Releasing Griner in any spy swap would hand Putin a propaganda victory, weaken US national security and make the world a more dangerous place. Groups such as the Islamic State may demand the release of their members in exchange for Western detainees. It is unsurprising the Kremlin saw him as a threat. Mexican cartels will be wondering what they may be able to get for one of the far more famous men’s basketball stars who like to vacation in territory they control. He might have made a fine Blackwater executive, but he is in jail because Washington saw him as a threat. It is not in Griner’s.

Now that Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, could a prisoner swap bring her home?

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Russian government had responded in a “bad faith” manner with an offer that U.S. officials did not regard as serious. At the time of his conviction, the group was classified by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization, though that designation was lifted last year. Griner is the most prominent American detained by a foreign country. It’s hard to say, but the contact between Blinken and Lavrov does suggest more progress than has been made before. And the formal end of the court case could be the opening both sides need to forge a diplomatic resolution, too. In many ways, yes — and a recent one, too. That’s what made Blinken’s announcement from the State Department briefing room all the more striking. She said getting a deal done for Griner and Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive imprisoned on an espionage conviction he and his family says is baseless, may be difficult but it is “urgent” and the “right thing to do.” The U.S. government also regards Whelan as wrongfully convicted. He has adamantly maintained his innocence. Blinken did not provide details after his call with Lavrov about his response. Minimal, at least in public. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went public with that possibility last week, revealing in an unusual announcement that the U.S. had made a “substantial proposal” aimed at securing the release of Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that the Kremlin is “ready to discuss this issue” but experts expect Russia to "milk this for all it's ...

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The basketball star is an innocent victim of the reactionary conflict between US imperialism and the Putin regime in Moscow.

The cruelty of the Putin regime towards Griner should not lead the working class in the United States or in any country to forget that American imperialism is the most powerful reactionary force on the planet and the most vicious. The Obama-Biden administration prosecuted more journalists than all previous US governments combined, sending Army Private Chelsea Manning to prison for seven years for leaking evidence of US atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan to WikiLeaks. As for the circumstances in which prisoners are held, American prisons are notorious for violence, disease and death, as well as the widespread use of such torture methods as solitary confinement. Drug convictions account for by far the largest number of prisoners, many of them, like Griner, convicted on the basis of frame-ups and evidence concocted by the police. One of Griner’s teammates, guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, emphasized that the protest had nothing to do with politics (i.e., the war in Ukraine). “This is a human being and our real-life friend and real-life sister. There is widespread and entirely justified sympathy for Griner among her fellow athletes and among the American population as a whole. How are you supposed to approach the game with a clear mind, and the whole group is crying before the game? She had forgotten to remove two vials weighing a total of 0.7 grams from her luggage before leaving for Moscow and was arrested when they were detected at the airport. Griner was one of the top-paid WNBA players but made just over $200,000 a year. Griner was in possession of a tiny amount of cannabis oil, prescribed by her doctor for back pains caused by playing a professional sport at the highest level, year after year. The purpose of this action has, of course, nothing to do with drug trafficking. She had been playing in Russia regularly during the off-season of the Women’s National Basketball Association because WNBA salaries are so low compared to those paid in other US professional sports.

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."

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.

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 was detained by Russian authorities on February 17th for transporting “vape cartridges containing cannabis oil” en route to play in Yekaterinburg. “ ...

Griner has been the subject of a prisoner swap debate between the United States and Russia. WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug possession and smuggling. Griner was detained by Russian authorities on February 17th for transporting “vape cartridges containing cannabis oil” en route to play in Yekaterinburg.

MOSCOW — A Russian court has found Brittney Griner guilty on drug smuggling and possession charges. The widely expected verdict comes after a monthlong ...

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WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in Russian prison in a sentence that US President Joe Biden has deemed "unacceptable", ...

"The punishment is to be served in general regime penal colony. We urge them to accept it. "It's a serious proposal. The United States has already made what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called a "substantial offer" to secure the release of Americans detained in Russia, including Griner and former marine Paul Whelan. The fine has to be paid directly to the banking details named in the verdict." Griner had travelled to Russia to play in the Russian Premier League during the WNBA's off-season when she was accused of having the vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.