• Brittney Griner, a US basketball star, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug offences

    International
    Brittney Griner, a US basketball star, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug offences

    In the meantime, Griner's defence team announced that they will appeal to the court in Khimki, close to Moscow, a decision from last Thursday.


    Digital
    Desk:
    US basketball player Brittney Griner was given a nine-year prison term
    for drug offenses by a Russian court on Thursday.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-IN">Griner,
    who is 31 years old, admitted using cannabis oil but told the judge that she
    committed an "honest mistake." However, the court found her guilty of
    drug trafficking and possession, and it nearly awarded her the maximum term
    suggested by the prosecution.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-IN">In the
    meantime, Griner's defence team announced that they will appeal to the court in
    Khimki, close to Moscow, a decision from last Thursday.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-IN">The
    American has already spent a significant amount of time in detention, the
    presiding judge stated as she read the verdict.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-IN">"I
    made a genuine error, and I sincerely hope that your decision will spare my
    life. After both sides made their closing arguments, Griner had stated to the
    court, "I did not plan or conspire to conduct this activity.



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    mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:
    EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">The basketball player added that she had to use translation software on her phone to communicate and that she had not been
    given access to a lawyer or a description of her rights during the first few
    hours of her imprisonment.