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Brittney Griner, Paul Whalen Remain US Priority: White House
Posted
October 26, 2022
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October 26, 2022
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0:58Now PlayingThe Biden administrations says bringing home detained Americans "remain a priority" despite the latest setback in Brittney Griner's imprisonment in Russia.
"We are disappointed about what we saw today, but not surprised by the outcome," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
"As we have said multiple occasions, these judicial proceedings are a sham. And look, this is a priority for this administration."
This comes after a Russian court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by U.S. basketball star Griner of her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, a step that could move her closer to a possible high-stakes prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.
The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist was convicted August 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Griner, 32, was not at the Moscow Regional Court hearing but appeared via video link from a penal colony outside the capital where she is held.
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.
The other American being held in Russia is Paul Whelan, who's serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”
The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.
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