A Russian court has rejected U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner‘s appeal and upheld her nine-year prison sentence for drug smuggling after illegally carrying a pair of capsules containing cannabis oil last Feb. 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The 32-year-old athlete, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, appeared Tuesday via video conference from the Moscow prison facility where she has been held since her arrest, taking on a despondent expression during the hearing and at the reading of the verdict. The athlete will now be sent to a prison camp near the capital.
In a statement read aloud in court, the Phoenix Mercury star said it was not her intention to violate Russian law. The United States considers Griner’s conviction illegal and is working for her release.
Griner’s fate will likely be decided out of court, however. The Houston native is at the center of an intense diplomatic debate over the possible prisoner swap that would lead to the release of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently being held in Illinois.
