Brittney griner, a former WNBA-star who pleaded guilty on drug smuggling charges, is the subject of this article. In 2016, Griner was taken into custody in Russia. Before she became famous, Griner was a high school star who led the United States women's basketball team to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Griner's recent conviction is a sad twist in her story. However, Griner has made a good decision to begin her prison sentence.
WNBA star brittney griner pleaded guilty in drug smuggling
The WNBA star was taken into custody in February. She pleaded guilty for drug smuggling. She was sentenced to three years in prison and will have to serve the rest of her sentence in a Russian prison. In her guilty plea, Griner acknowledged she was involved in smuggling drugs, but insisted she had no intention of breaking the law.
She was arrested in Russia in 2016.
Griner is not being silenced despite her international popularity. Although Griner's supporters have called for Griner to be released, her husband and team remain silent. In a statement, they claimed they didn't have any political knowledge of Griner’s arrest. Russian government has a strong anti-drug culture. Griner's arrest caused her great embarrassment and the WNBA did not support her.
She led the United States' women's basketball team in winning the Rio Olympics.
Despite her young age, Griner has already won several gold medals. Griner was a member of the USA women’s hockey team in Rio de Janeiro. The gold medal match saw them defeat Spain 101-72. In 2011, she also won a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup. She has been honored with numerous national and international honors since then.
She was sentenced with nine years imprisonment
The U.S. government has declared Griner a "wrongful detainee" and is working to get her back. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, has been designated to assist. Richardson has years of experience as a hostage negotiator. He will immediately begin to work to get Griner returned. Griner has been in the care of a consular officer, and the consular officer visited her on May 19 and reported that she was doing well under difficult circumstances. Griner is currently under the care of the State Department. The consular officer visited her on May 19 and reported that Griner is doing well in difficult circumstances.
Now her fate rests on diplomatic negotiations between Russia, the U.S., and China
Griner was still in detention on Thursday as her family searches for an exchange. Diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the U.S. have been ongoing since June. Griner's Russian legal actions against her are not relevant domestically. However, they will not prevent her from seeking a presidential Pardon. Griner's fate rests largely in Russia's hands.