A Russian appeals court upheld an earlier decision to sentence WNBA player Brittney Griner to nine years on drug smuggling and cannabis possession charges Tuesday, intensifying the pressure on the U.S. government to get Griner home through a deal with Russian authorities. Griner, 32, participated in court proceedings visible via a video link showing the facility where she has been held since she was arrested on Feb. 17.
“I’ve been here almost eight months, and people with more severe crimes have been given less than what I was given,” Griner said in the proceedings covered by CNN. She spoke from a detention center dubbed Correctional Colony No. 1, which is north of Moscow in Novoye Grishino.
“I really hope the court will adjust this sentence because it has been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and my psyche,” Griner said before the court's decision. She also noted the stress of being away from her family and “not being able to communicate.”
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