Brittney Griner, WNBA star, has been sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison for drug smuggling.
Brittney Griner, an American women's basketball player, was convicted of intentionally smuggling drugs into Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Griner's lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a written statement that they will appeal the ruling and that the court ignored their evidence.
Speaking outside court, Boykov said that the average time in jail for this type of crime is five years, adding that almost a third of those convicted get parole.
According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, it is now "up to the Russian side" to determine if Griner's conviction opens fresh opportunities for negotiations on a prisoner swap.
Kirby added that the US wants Russia to "accept the agreement on the table because it's a good one, a fair one, and it'll help get Paul and Brittney home."