Brittney Griner’s lawyers on Monday filed an appeal of the WNBA star’s nine-year Russian prison sentence. Griner was convicted on August 4, and, in addition to the sentence, she was fined 1 million rubles, or about $16,400.
Griner has been detained in Russia since being arrested in February for bringing vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport. She was returning to her Russian basketball team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, after there was a pause in the season for international play.
Griner’s lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, was quoted by Russian news agencies Monday as saying the appeal was filed; however, she did not disclose the grounds of the appeal.
The appeal was expected as Griner’s defense team said after her sentencing that it planned to appeal and, under Russian law, had 10 days to do so.
Blagovolina and co-counsel Alexander Boykov released a joint statement after the conviction, labeling Griner’s sentence excessive and claiming that in similar cases, defendants receive an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them being granted parole.
Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, apologized in court before being sentenced.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans, and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” she said. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
Griner asserted she made “an honest mistake” by inadvertently packing the vape cartridges in haste before going through the airport, adding, “I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.”
The U.S. State Department classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” in May.
Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the U.S. had made a “substantial proposal” to secure the release of Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
Blinken did not provide details of the proposal. However, several news organizations have reported that the U.S.’s offer for the two Americans involves Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. for conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
On Sunday, Russia’s head of the foreign ministry’s North America department, Alexander Darchiev, told state news agency Tass that talks between the two sides about an exchange have occurred.
“This quite sensitive issue of the swap of convicted Russian and U.S. citizens is being discussed through the channels defined by our presidents,” said Darchiev. “These individuals are, indeed, being discussed. The Russian side has long been seeking the release of Viktor Bout. The details should be left to professionals, proceeding from the ‘do not harm’ principle.”
