HARTFORD, Conn. — Brittney Griner stared blankly from behind white bars as the ruling was translated for her. Her eyes were empty and when they did shift focus it was only downward.
There was resignation in those eyes and lack of expression, or perhaps Griner was trying to will herself somewhere else. For those who have viewed the video, it was a window into someone else’s unimaginable nightmare.
Griner, 31, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, and experts say such places are as bad as the term sounds. Experts on these processes also say Thursday’s ruling from Judge Anna Sotnikova of the court in the Russian city of Khimki was expected, and is the end of the beginning. One of U.S. basketball’s biggest stars will remain where she is for as long as it takes the U.S. and Russian governments to agree on the price for her release. With the “trial” over, those negotiations can begin.
