Greener is now back at the detention center where she was held during the week-long trial as her lawyers vow to appeal the sentence and the Biden administration continues to try to negotiate her release.
Russian officials are “ready to discuss” the prisoners held by both countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Friday, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
“There is a certain channel that is agreed upon by the presidents, and whatever someone says in public, this channel will remain in force,” Lavrov said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
During the trial, Griner pleaded guilty to carrying less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage while traveling through a Moscow airport on February 17. She testified in court that she was aware of Russia’s strict drug laws and had no intention of bringing cannabis into the country, saying she was in a hurry and was “packing from stress”.
Her lawyers had hoped Griner’s guilty plea and expressions of remorse would lead to a lighter sentence. She faced 10 years for the charges, and prosecutors asked that she be sentenced to 9.5 years in prison. In addition to his nine-year sentence, Griner must pay a fine of 1 million rubles, which is roughly $16,400.
“I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your judgment it will not end my life here,” Griner said in court before the sentencing. “I know everyone keeps talking about political pawns and politics, but I hope that’s far from this courtroom.
The US State Department has classified Greener as wrongfully detained. The Biden administration has offered to trade a convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Greener and another American detainee, Paul Whelan, CNN reported. After the sentencing, Greener’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, tweeted: “Today’s sentencing of Britney Greener was harsh by Russian legal standards and will prove what we’ve known all along, that Britney was used as a political pawn.” President Joe Biden called the sentence “unacceptable” and asked that she be returned to the United States to be reunited with her family, according to a statement.
Here’s what’s next for Griner as she awaits her lawyers’ appeals and the U.S. continues to negotiate her release.
Lawyers will appeal the “unreasonable” verdict
Griner’s legal team will appeal the court’s decision, which it must do within 10 days of the verdict, according to her lawyers Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina, who is a partner at the law firm Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners.
“We are very disappointed with the verdict. As lawyers, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone, regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense and most importantly, the guilty plea,” they said in a statement.
They called the sentence “absolutely unreasonable” and insisted that the decision “contradicts existing legal practice” in Russia.
The average prison time for this type of crime is five years, adding that nearly a third of those convicted receive parole, Blagovolina told reporters.
During the trial, attorneys argued that Griner’s detention was improper. Griner testified that she was made to sign documents she did not fully understand and was not given adequate Russian translations of the documents.
A defense expert also testified that the inspection of vape cartridges containing the cannabis oil was inconsistent with Russian law.
The US offered a prisoner exchange for Greiner’s return
The Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap, offering to swap a convicted Russian arms trafficker for Greener and Whelan, CNN reported. Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2018 on espionage charges after a trial the US said was unfair.
After Greener’s sentencing, National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said it was “up to the Russian side” whether the sentence would open the door to prisoner swap talks.
After the U.S. offered a prisoner swap, Russia responded by demanding that convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov also be released, sources familiar with the discussions told CNN. The US does not consider the counter a legitimate proposal, in part because the request was made through an unofficial back channel.
Kirby reiterated Thursday that the U.S. position remains that it wants Russia to “take the deal to the table because it’s good, it’s fair, and it’s going to help bring Paul (Whelan) and Britney home.”
Although US officials have long opposed the prisoner trade, the successful release in April of Trevor Reed, an American and former Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia, won bipartisan praise from lawmakers and was seen as a political victory for the Biden administration.
Family and supporters continue to fight for her return
The trade offer comes after months of pressure from Griner’s family and members of the basketball community.
The star’s wife, Cheryl Greener, has been open about her desire for American authorities to take more substantial action to bring her wife home. Days after Cheryl Greener expressed her frustration in an interview with CNN, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called her to assure her they were committed to securing her wife’s release, according to White House testimony.
Griner also has the continued support of her WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, as well as other members of the basketball community.
Before the start of Thursday night’s game between the Mercury and Connecticut Sun, members of both teams held hands at center court and held a 42-second moment of silence for Griner, who wears 42 on her jersey. After it was over, people in the crowd started chanting “Bring her home!”
Ali Malloy, Chris Liakos, Natasha Bertrand, Frederik Pleitgen, Eric Levenson, Dakin Andone, Travis Caldwell, Jill Martin, Betsy Klein, Kate Sullivan and MJ Lee contributed to this report.
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