The commissioner of the WNBA, Cathy Engelbert, and the commissioner of NBA, Adam Silvercriticized this Thursday the sentence in Russia of the basketball player Brittney Griner for drug trafficking and called for his immediate return to USA.
“Today’s verdict and sentence are unwarranted and unfortunate, but not unexpected, and Griner continues to be wrongfully detained,” the two said in a statement posted on the WNBA’s Twitter page.
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The organizations assured that their commitment to ensuring the athlete’s return has not changed, and expressed their hope that the process to “bring her home” is close to being completed.
Both organizations join in this way the call of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, who this morning demanded that Russia release “immediately“to the basketball player, and promised that his government will continue to work”without a rest“to ensure their return to the country.
At the end of July, the Government of Biden made a proposal to Russia to secure the release of Griner and the former Marine Paul Whelan – also detained in Russia – in what, according to CNN, would be a prisoner exchange with the Russian arms dealer Victor Boutimprisoned in the United States and whose release the Kremlin demands.
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Griner, double world champion and Olympic champion with her country, was arrested last February at a Moscow airport with cannabis oil in her suitcase, a prohibited substance in Russia.
The athlete was sentenced this Thursday in a court in Khimkiin the Moscow region.
When the sentence was read, Griner31, said he understood the ruling and showed little emotion, despite its severity.
