This morning, Brittney Griner‘s legal team said they appealed her conviction.
The appeal comes as prisoner exchange discussions have picked up between the United States and Russia.
Griner was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison last week. In response, her legal team called it “absolutely unreasonable” and said, “we will certainly file an appeal.”
And today they did just that.
Maria Blagovolina, a partner at the law firm that has represented Griner, confirmed the appeal. According to the NY Times, the basis for the appeal wasn’t made clear as of yet.
While the appeal was expected, it could take up to three months for a decision to be rendered. According to Russian officials, before any exchange can happen, all legal channels must be exhausted.
The rumored exchange involves Americans Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russian for over four years on espionage charges. In return, Russia wants convicted arms deals Viktor Bout.
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