Before the sentencing, basketball player Brittney Griner pleaded with the judge not to “end her life” with a harsh sentence.
20:41•Updated 20:54
Russian court considers US basketball player by Brittney Griner having committed a drug crime.
The court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and trafficking.
The Russian prosecutor demanded a nine and a half year prison sentence for Griner.
Defense attorney Maria Blagovolina announced that Griner will appeal the sentence.
– He is very upset and stressed. He can barely speak, Blagovolina said.
Biden demanded an immediate release
President of the United States Joe Biden demanded that Russia release Griner immediately. Biden said in a statement that the arrest of the basketball player is a injustice.
– I demand that Russia release him immediately so that he can be with his wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.
Biden added that his administration will do everything in its power to impeach Griner and those accused of espionage Paul Whelan get home safely as soon as possible.
The US basketball federations also criticized the verdict.
– The verdict is unfounded and regrettable, but not unexpected, said the WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert in a joint statement by the commissioner of the NBA league by Adam Silver with.
Englebert hoped that now that the verdict had been read, Griner would be able to enter the United States.
Last week, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. had made a “significant offer” to free Americans captured by Russia.
Russia has been demanding Bout’s release for several years. The 55-year-old former Soviet army officer known as the “merchant of death” is serving a 25-year prison sentence.
Griner called his act an honest mistake
Russian authorities arrested 31-year-old Brittney Griner in February at the Moscow airport. Hashish oil was found in Griner’s luggage.
Before sentencing, Griner pleaded with the judge not to “end his life” with a harsh prison sentence.
Griner admitted that he had hashish oil on his way, but said it was an honest mistake. Griner added that he did not intend to bring the banned substance to Russia.
The court also fined Griner a million rubles, or about 15,800 euros.
When Griner was arrested, he was returning to Russia to play with the Yekaterinburg basketball club in the playoffs. Griner played for the Russian team when the American basketball league WBNA was on hiatus.
Griner has also won two Olympic gold medals for the US team.