The defense team has filed an appeal against her conviction on drug charges in Russia nearly two weeks after she was sentenced to nine years in jail by a Moscow court.
Her lawyer Maria Blagovolina said Monday that the defense team had filed the appeal, in a statement via the Telegram messaging app. The move was widely expected, as Russia and the United States discussed a potential prisoner swap that would secure Griner's release.
The American basketball player was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport after authorities said they found cannabis-infused vape cartridges in her luggage.
Griner, 31, pleaded guilty to the charges but admitted she made an honest mistake in entering Russia with cannabis oil, which is illegal in the country, after she had hurriedly packed for her flight.
She was sentenced on Aug. 4th to 9 years in Russian prison after being found guilty of drug possession and smuggling after making an emotional final plea for leniency.
The U.S. government has maintained that Griner was wrongly detained.
According to two sources, the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S., has offered to exchange her and Paul Whelan, a corporate executive who has been in Russia since 2018, for a 25-year prison sentence. Russia has shown no sign of accepting the offer, and has decried Washington's decision to publicize it in an effort to step up the pressure for a deal.
Russia said following Griner's sentencing it was ready to discuss the possibility of a prisoner swap.
A senior Russian diplomat confirmed over the weekend that the above names had been mentioned during bilateral talks.
The discussion of the highly sensitive topic of the exchange of imprisoned citizens of Russia and the United States is taking place within the framework of channels determined by our presidents, said Alexander Darchiev, director of the North American Department of Russia's foreign ministry, in an interview with state news agency TASS. He added that the names mentioned are really being considered. Darchiev said Moscow has long been waiting for the release of Viktor Bout, but he said the details should be left to professionals based on the principle of do no harm. Darchiev said the approach helped facilitate the quick exchange of former U.S. marine Trevor Reed, who was convicted in Russia for assaulting a police officer, and Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.