-Tamara’Shanay-

Cousins!

Closing arguments were officially reached today within WNBA all star Brittney Griner‘s cannabis possession case in Russia and it’s left us all with opened mouths and heavy hearts!

According to ESPN, Russian prosecutors are initially requested 9 1/2 years of jail time for Britney after she was arrested 6 months ago within a Moscow airport. It has been stated that she has reached the highest levels of U.S Russia diplomacy.

Brittney Griner's imprisonment is absolutely a disability rights issue. Griner lives with chronic pain, and she just received nine years in prison for a drug that helps her manage pain.

— Julia Métraux (@metraux_julia) August 4, 2022

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In a direct statement to the judge proper to her sentencing today Britney says she never meant to, “break any law. I know everybody keeps talking about ‘political pawn’ and ‘politics’ but I hope that is far from this court room.”

She went on to apologize to her wife, family , WNBA teammates, as well as her Yekaterinburg teammates for any forwarded embarrassment.

I’ll never forget that the reason Brittney Griner was in another country in the first place is because she wasn’t being paid equitably in the WNBA. This is about race, hostage, sexuality, gender, and especially pay gaps. But we’d rather be mad at her for having cannabis oil.

— Preston Mitchum, he/him (@PrestonMitchum) August 5, 2022

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Reports read that during the sentencing, Judge Anna Sotnikova explained that believes that Griner intentionally broke the law, hitting her with a fine of $ 1 million rubles (roughly around $16,700). Judge Sotnikova also states the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February shall count towards the sentence as time served. Brittney’s legal team reveals that in sentencing the court ignored evidence it had been presented within her guilty plea.

Americans don't fully understand of what Brittney Griner's reality in a Russian penal colony will look like: She is very tall, Black and American. She really sticks out. And she doesn't speak Russian, making it that much harder to navigate the complex rules and hierarchies.

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) August 4, 2022

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Officials state that Brittney reacted to the sentencing with little emotion along with blank stare on her face.

She said : “I love my family,” as she exited the court room.

Sources confirm that the nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years that Brittney had faced under the charges.

Brittney Griner does not deserve this. This sentencing genuinely made me sick to my stomach.

— 𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙 𝕶𝖎𝖒 💥 (@TheCourtKim) August 4, 2022

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Griner’s defense lawyers said they would appeal. They have a total of 10 days to appeal following from the sentencing verdict.