Brittney Griner’s lawyer says the WNBA player is “stressed” out while waiting to hear news on her appeal or a possible prisoner exchange after being sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison.
According to Maria Blagovolina, Griner’s attorney, “Brittney is stressed and very much concerned with the future” because there are no new developments regarding her next steps.
In August, Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for allegedly bringing two cartridges of cannabis oil into Russia. Her lawyer and the legal team announced they would appeal as soon as possible because the punishment was “absolutely unreasonable.”
According to Blagovolina, they still don’t know when the hearing will begin.
Over the years, appeals haven’t changed Russian prison sentences, but Blagovolina told PEOPLE they must try.
“We need to use every legal opportunity that we have, and appeal is one of these opportunities,” she said.
Griner’s other attorney, Alexander Boykov of the Moscow Legal Center, said the appeal process “is not very quick” and will take several months once it starts.
Additionally, there is still a chance that Griner will take part in an American-Russian prisoner exchange. In July, the Biden administration and Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that negotiations are underway with Russia to exchange the WNBA star and Paul Whelan.
When Griner heard about the possible exchange, she was “quite happy to know that she’s not been forgotten and that there are some possible developments,” said Blagovolina. “But she’s quite realistic about what’s going on.”
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