Topline
WNBA star Brittney Griner’s lawyers filed an appeal against a Moscow-area court’s ruling that convicted her of drug possession and handed her a nine-year jail term, Reuters reported on Monday, a move that comes amid Washington’s efforts to negotiate her release as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.
US Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was … [+]
Key Facts
Griner was convicted for drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison after vape cartridges infused with cannabis oil were found in her bag at an airport in Moscow.
Griner’s lawyers told the New York Times the appeals process could take up to three months.
Griner’s appeal comes as Biden administration officials have announced the offer of a prisoner swap deal with Russia to help free Griner, however, officials in Moscow have been reticent about discussing the issue publicly.
Russia has insisted that Griner will need to go through the country’s entire legal process and a prisoner swap will only be discussed only if all her appeal efforts fail.
Big Number
Less than 1%. That is the percentage of cases that end in acquittal in Russian criminal courts, according to various reports. This makes Griner’s effort to overturn the conviction highly improbable.
Key Background
Earlier this month, Griner was handed a nine-year prison sentence by a Moscow-area court and fined one million rubles ($16,250). The court ruled that Griner had broken Russia’s drug possession laws “deliberately,” despite her statement that she made an “honest mistake.” The sentence was seen as unusually harsh even by Russian standards and President Joe Biden labeled it “unacceptable.” Prior to Griner’s sentencing, U.S. officials indicated they had offered to exchange Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout—who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S.—for Griner and former marine Paul Whelan—who is being held in Russia on spying allegations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to accept the “substantial” deal. But these public overtures received immediate pushback from the Kremlin which denounced what it called “megaphone diplomacy.” A Russian foreign ministry official acknowledged the back channel talks in a statement issued during the weekend to state-run news agency TASS, stating prisoner exchange talks are ongoing and the names Griner, Whelan and Bout are part of the discussion.
Further Reading
Brittney Griner Sentenced To 9 Years For Drug Charges By Russian Court (Forbes)
Blinken Urges Russia To Accept ‘Substantial’ Griner And Whelan Offer (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/08/15/brittney-griner-appeals-drug-possession-conviction-in-russia/