T.J.Quinn said that the nine-year prison sentence was expected. There is a time and a place for it.
A Russian court sentenced a basketball player to nine years in prison on Thursday, which should allow negotiations for a prisoner swap to accelerate.
Sources close to the player said that he was prepared for a harsh sentence after his arrest. She and her supporters were aware that Russia wouldn't be moving forward with a trade that would bring her home until her trial was over. The case continued under Russian law despite the fact that a guilty verdict was expected.
Judge Anna Sotnikova said she found that Griner had broken the law and fined her 1 million rubles. Since her arrest in February, Sotnikova said the time she has spent in custody would count.
She stared blankly at her face as she listened to the verdict.
She said she loved her family as she left the court.
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years that he had faced, and prosecutors had asked for a 912 year sentence.
The defense lawyers plan to appeal. According to the defense team, the court ignored all of the evidence it had presented and sentenced the man to prison.
Maria Blagovolina said that the defense attorney was very stressed. She can't speak. It's hard for her.
A hearing in a Moscow regional court is expected next week, according to her lawyers. The lawyers said they were not involved in any discussions about a prisoner swap, even though they were asked if they could ask for a pardon from Putin.
The U.S. president called for her release after the verdict referred to her as being wrongly imprisoned.
One more reminder of what the world already knew is that Russia is wrongly detaining an American. I call on Russia to let her go so she can be with her family.
The chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy called the verdict a mistake.
In a joint statement, the NBA and the WNBA called Thursday's verdict and sentencing "unjustified and unfortunate" and the players' association said "It's just time"
The NBA and the NBA's commitment to her safe return has not wavered and it is our hope that we are near the end of this process.
Today's verdict and sentence is disappointing. Today's decision is an unjust one. It's a really bad blow. We trust that the Secretary and his Russian counterpart are having their conversations quickly. It is time. It is time.
We Are BG. pic.twitter.com/xFLu0a2aSB
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 4, 2022
The sentence was severe by Russian legal standards and goes to prove what we have known all along, thatBrittney is being used as a political pawn She said that she supported the efforts of the Biden administration.
Sources have said that the U.S. offered a deal to swap convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for American Paul Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia on espionage charges.
The trial was treated as a legitimate proceeding and any deal to send her home would require an admission of guilt.
At the end of her trial and before she was sentenced on Thursday, she told the court that she made an honest mistake and that she learned a lot from her parents.
I pleaded guilty to my charges. "I pled guilty because I understand everything that's being said against me, the charges that are against me, and that's why I'm here," she said. I had no intention of breaking the laws of Russia.
She apologized to her teammates, fans, and the city of Ekaterinburg, where she has been since the start of the NBA season in 2004.
I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I didn't mean to put the Russians in danger. She didn't mean to break any laws. I hope that it doesn't end my life here because I made an honest mistake.
"I hope that is far from this courtroom, because I know that everybody keeps talking about political pawns and politics, but I hope that is not true," she said.
The length of the sentence is a formality in negotiations for her release, even though her attorneys had hoped for a less severe sentence.
Russian law forbids the country from considering a deal before she is sentenced.
Other Americans who have been in Russia have taken a long time to get their case resolved.
His trial ended in June 2020 and he was held in pre-trial confinement for 18 months. The American was convicted in July 2020. When Reed was reported to be in poor health, the countries agreed to a prisoner swap that brought him home this April.
Reed's release was the first sign that there was a diplomatic channel open after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The AP contributed.
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