Chargé d’Affaires ai in Russia Elizabeth Rood announced the verdict to the American basketball player Britney Griner “a nonsense in justice.”
On August 4, Greiner, 31, was sentenced by the Khimki city court to 9 years in a penal colony in a drug trafficking case. She was also fined 1 million rubles.
– Today, an American citizen Greiner, whose sporting merits are recognized by millions of fans in the United States and Russia, was sentenced to 9 years in prison just for an unintentional crime. This is nonsense in court. The State Department immediately deemed Greiner’s detention illegal, and now considers him as such. We will follow Griner’s further fate and be in contact with his attorneys.
US Secretary of State Blinken and the Biden administration will do everything possible to bring Greiner home. For my part, I will do my best for that as well,” Rud told reporters.
Rud declined to comment on reports of Greiner possibly being swapped for one of the Russians. Earlier, US media reported, citing a source in the Biden administration, that he supported plans to swap Russian Viktor Bout, who is serving a prison sentence in the US, for US citizens Greiner and Paul Whelan, who were convicted in Russia. to 16 years in prison for espionage.
In February, Greiner was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle hash oil through Sheremetyevo airport.
Since 2015, Greiner has been playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg, she twice won the Olympics as part of the American team (2016, 2020).
Source : MatchTV
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
