After being detained by Russian police at Sheremetyevo Airport on drug allegations in February, WNBA athlete #BrittneyGriner has officially been sentenced to 9.5 years in prison. The harsh sentencing comes after a months-long community outcry and government push to have the 31-year-old basketball player released from custody, but to no avail.⁠ ⁠ In March 2022, news broke that Griner had been arrested while traveling through Sheremetyevo Airport, with local authorities claiming that a full search of the athlete and her belongings produced vape cartridges containing less than one gram of cannabis oil — a serious allegation considering that recreational and medical use of marijuana is still illegal in Russia. Although Griner told the authorities that the cannabis oil being in her possession was unintentional, a result of "packing in a hurry," she was not allowed to go free.⁠ ⁠ "Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia is a cruel reminder of the systemic and disproportionate criminalization of Black people for minor drug-related offenses and the incarceration of Black people at large," Dominique Symone of Black Feminist Future wrote for @R29Unbothered last month. ⁠ ⁠ As the United States attempts to broker peace with Russia during its ongoing lethal conflict with Ukraine, the government has also made some attempts to barter for Griner's freedom (after immense public pressure). The Biden administration has reportedly been in communication with the Russian government trying to solidify an agreement that would release Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout from his 25-year US prison sentence in exchange Griner and Paul Whelan, a former Marine being held overseas on espionage charges. Unfortunately, the Russian government has not yet accepted the terms of the proposed agreement, and both Griner and Whelan remain imprisoned. ⁠ ⁠ Read the full story at the 🔗 in bio. ✍️ @ineyekomo 📷 Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images #R29Article