Brittney Griner's lawyers appeal Russian drug conviction
WNBA player Brittney Griner's legal team appealed her Russian drug trafficking conviction on Monday.
According to NPR, Griner lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov did not specify the grounds of the appeal, though they did say at the time of the conviction that a nine-year sentence was excessive "and that in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years."
Griner, who played for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after law enforcement claimed they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. The Phoenix Mercury player admitted to possessing the cartridges but said she packed them "accidentally" and had "no intention on breaking any Russian law."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
CBS News reports that Russia "officially confirmed" on Saturday that "there are ongoing negotiations with the United States government regarding a potential prisoner swap." The Russians reportedly hope to trade Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in Illinois.
The U.S. State Department, which considers Griner to be wrongfully detained, has also confirmed that negotiations are ongoing.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The trademark battle over the 'Russian warship, go f**k yourself' slogan
Under The Radar Row over the 'brave' response from a Ukrainian soldier to a Moscow warship that's become 'hot merchandising property'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published