A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner’s appeal and upheld the “woke” WNBA star’s nine-year prison sentence on drug charges.
Following the ruling, Griner is now expected to be transferred to a brutal Russian labor camp.
According to NBC News, Griner looked despondent in court:
“Griner, 32, looked despondent as she appeared at the hearing in the Moscow Regional Court via video conference from the detention center where she has been held since her arrest in February.
“The athlete is now expected to be moved to a penal colony.”
Griner said in court that she “did not intend to do this” but understood the charges against her.
She said she hoped the fact “she pled guilty” would help her cause but it did not.
Before her appeal, Griner issued a statement through her lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov.
“Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home,” Griner said.
“All the support and love are definitely helping me.”
Her lawyers said:
“Today is of course a difficult day for Brittney.
“Not only is this her birthday in jail away from her family, teammates, and friends, but she is very stressed in anticipation of the appeal hearing on October 25.”
Yury Ushakov, who was Russia’s ambassador to the United States between 1998 and 2008 and is now an aide to Putin, said:
“In this tense situation, I think that he is thinking first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections so he keeps emphasizing the need to bring back home the basketball player who was detained for drug smuggling.
“However, it’s not the main issue that we are concerned about.”
Griner’s lawyer, Alexandr D. Boykov, who last spoke with Griner on October 11 said Griner is starting to lose hope for a quick solution.
“She is not yet absolutely convinced that America will be able to take her home,” Boykov said.
“She is very worried about what the price of that will be, and she is afraid that she will have to serve the whole sentence here in Russia.”
