A Russian court on Tuesday upheld the American basketball star Brittney Griner’s sentence on drug smuggling charges, clearing the way for her to serve nine years in a penal colony and adding to pressure on the United States government to negotiate a deal for her release.
“We are very disappointed,” Ms. Griner’s attorneys said in a statement after the ruling by a three-judge panel of an appeals court near Moscow. “The verdict contains numerous defects and we hoped that the court of appeal would take them into consideration.”
The decision means Ms. Griner will begin serving her sentence soon, but it was not immediately clear if her legal options were exhausted.