Brittney Griner's Appeal Was Rejected; She Will Now Serve 9 Years in a Russian Penal Colony

The All-Star basketball player will have to fulfill her nine-year sentence for drug possession and smuggling at a prison colony in Russia unless American politicians negotiate for her release after a Russian court on Tuesday denied her request for a lower term.

Griner presented her argument to the three judges who would decide her fate virtually in court.

“I was barely over the significant amount [of cannabis oil]. People with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given,” she said, according to Reuters. “I did not intend to do this.”

Griner conveyed through her attorney that she was pessimistic about the court finding in her favor in the days before to her hearing on Tuesday.

For Griner, this year has been difficult. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the hostile ties between Russia and the United States have served as the backdrop for her case. 

The 32-year-old top player was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow only two weeks before Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine in February after less than a gram of cannabis oil was discovered in her suitcase by customs. She was quickly taken from the area and is currently being held in Russian custody. Griner entered a guilty plea to the serious narcotics charges, which could have resulted in a ten-year jail sentence.