A RUSSIAN court’s decision to jail U.S citizen, Brittney Griner, is in bad taste, the Joe Biden’s administration has said.
The Russian court earlier today convicted Griner to nine years in prison.
Griner, who has been detained in Russia for over five months, was found guilty on drug charges in a Moscow-area court.
The judge found that Griner, who is from Houston, Texas, smuggled and stored illegal drugs.
The 31-year-old two-time Olympics gold medalist, who plays professional basketball for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on February at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia.
United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, in a statement shortly after the judgment, said the conviction further compounds the injustice of her wrongful detention.
“This step puts a spotlight on our significant concerns with Russia’s legal system and the Russian government’s use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda, using individuals as political pawns.
“Nothing about today’s decision changes our determination that Brittney Griner is wrongfully detained, and we will continue working to bring Brittney and fellow wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan home. This is an absolute priority of mine and the Department’s,” Blinken said.
The United States, according to Blinken, will continue to press for fair and transparent treatment for all U.S. citizen detained in Russia.
He added thar Russia, and any country engaging in wrongful detention, represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working, and living abroad.
