Brittney Griner, a basketball player for the W.N.B.A. team The Phoenix Mercury, was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian penal colony after being found guilty of drug smuggling and possession charges. This sentencing comes nearly six months after Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow where several cannabis vape cartridges were found amongst her belongings. Griner had traveled to Russia to compete with UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women's basketball team she'd been part of for the last seven years during her W.N.B.A off-season.
In NPR coverage of Griner's sentencing they make clear that Russia has a conviction rate of 99% in their criminal courts, yet the judge's ruling still registered as a shock to many weighing in on her sentencing via social media. For others, like Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren, the 9 year sentence registered as something else.
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