Griner sentenced and fined 1m roubles in politically charged verdict that could lead to prisoner swap with the US
A Moscow court has convicted the US basketball player
Her formal conviction, which was a foregone conclusion, is a necessary step if a prisoner exchange is to take place. US officials say Russia wants to swap Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US marine arrested on spying charges in 2020,“She’s very upset,” said Maria Blagovolina, one of her lawyers. “Very upset, very stressed. She can hardly talk. It’s a difficult time for her.” Griner had referred to the upcoming sentencing as “doomsday”, Blagovolina said. “It turns out she was right.
Although she pleaded guilty to the drug charges, the US has classified Griner as “wrongfully detained”, launching a process similar to hostage negotiations with Iran and other countries. A senior US embassy official attended Thursday’s hearing and verdict, where policeProsecutors asked for a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Griner and a hefty fine, nearly the maximum in her case.
“I know everybody keep talking about ‘political pawn’ and ‘politics’, but I hope that is far from this courtroom,” she said, asking for leniency. In the end, it was not shown. A conviction is usually required in cases that could lead to a prisoner exchange, because it would allow the Kremlin to issue a pardon or reduce a sentence without blatantly interfering in an ongoing trial.
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