Brittney griner, a former WNBA-star who pleaded guilty on drug smuggling charges, is the subject of this article. In 2016, she was detained in Russia and sentenced to nine-years in prison. Griner, a former high school star, was the leader of the United States women’s basketball team to Rio Olympics 2016. Her recent conviction is an unfortunate twist in the Griner story, but she has made a good decision and has already begun her prison sentence.
WNBA star brittney griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling
The WNBA superstar was arrested in February. She pleaded guilty at the time to drug smuggling. She was sentenced for three years and will serve the remainder of her sentence in Russian prison. Griner admitted in her guilty plea that she was involved smuggling drugs. However, she insisted that she did not intend on breaking the law.
She was held in Russia in 2016
Griner is not being silenced despite her international popularity. Griner's supporters called for her release but her husband and her team remained silent. They stated that they did not have any "political knowledge" about Griner's arrest. Russian officials have a very strict anti-drug culture. Griner was arrested, which has made her very embarrassed, and the WNBA didn't do anything to support her.
She was instrumental in leading the United States women’s hockey team to victory in Rio Olympics.
Despite her young age, Griner has already won several gold medals. Griner was part of the USA women’s basketball team that beat Spain 101-72 in Rio de Janeiro. She was also awarded a gold medal in FIBA World Cup 2011. She has been honored with numerous national and international honors since then.
She was sentenced with nine years imprisonment
Griner has been declared a "wrongful detainee" by the U.S. government and they are working to get her back. Bill Richardson, an ex-ambassador of the United States to the United Nations was assigned to assist. Richardson has years of experience as a hostage negotiator. He will immediately begin to work to get Griner returned. Griner has been under the care and supervision of a consular Officer. On May 19, the consular Officer visited Griner and stated that Griner was doing well, despite being in very difficult circumstances. Griner's rights and dignity are being protected by the State Department.
Now, her fate depends on the outcome of diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the U.S.
As of Thursday, Griner remains in detention while her family seeks an exchange. Since June, diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. & Russia are ongoing. Although the Russian legal action against Griner has been deemed insignificant domestically, it is unlikely to prevent her from applying for a presidential pardon. Griner's fate rests largely in Russia's hands.