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Also the fact that her lawyers showed a prescription from her doctor stating she needed the drugs makes it more likely the accusations are true. Is anyone actua

Also the fact that her lawyers showed a prescription from her doctor stating she needed the drugs makes it more likely the accusations are true. Is anyone actually denying she has the drugs? The media, her teammates, her wife?

krapp 4y ago
No, no one is denying she had the drugs. The issue is that she was sentenced far in excess of what is normal or reasonable, apparently for political reasons.
- walkhour 4y ago
  Really? What is the average time spent in jail for possession in Russia?
  - krapp 4y ago
    For these charges, according to my research, about a third of offenders get off on parole, and the average sentence is about five years. Ten years in the gulag for less than a gram of THC, with a prescription and a guilty plea is clearly an attempt to make a statement.
    - walkhour 4y ago
      I do believe you. But is there a link I can check, or someone besides you who has researched this?
      - krapp 4y ago
        My research is just reading articles about the sentencing and appeal quoting her defense team like this: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/... https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brittney-griner-wnba-appeal-russian-court-against-9-year-sentence/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brittney-griner-wnba-appeal-rus... https://reason.com/2022/08/05/brittney-griners-9-5-year-sentence-is-harsh-even-by-russian-standards/ https://reason.com/2022/08/05/brittney-griners-9-5-year-sent... It seems unlikely her lawyers would blatantly lie, given the context.
        walkhour 4y ago
        Thanks, that is useful. So 1/3 get zero years, and the average is 5 years. Speculating the time spent in prison is bell-shaped - and this is a huge if - 1/3 of the sentences could be over 10 years. I think we need more datapoints to conclude this sentence was an outlier. I think the sentence is lengthy but not outrageous according to Russian standards, a country where unfair sentences happen constantly.

krapp 4y ago

No, no one is denying she had the drugs. The issue is that she was sentenced far in excess of what is normal or reasonable, apparently for political reasons.

walkhour 4y ago
Really? What is the average time spent in jail for possession in Russia?
- krapp 4y ago
  For these charges, according to my research, about a third of offenders get off on parole, and the average sentence is about five years. Ten years in the gulag for less than a gram of THC, with a prescription and a guilty plea is clearly an attempt to make a statement.
  - walkhour 4y ago
    I do believe you. But is there a link I can check, or someone besides you who has researched this?
    - krapp 4y ago
      My research is just reading articles about the sentencing and appeal quoting her defense team like this: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/europe/brittney-griner-trial/... https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brittney-griner-wnba-appeal-russian-court-against-9-year-sentence/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brittney-griner-wnba-appeal-rus... https://reason.com/2022/08/05/brittney-griners-9-5-year-sentence-is-harsh-even-by-russian-standards/ https://reason.com/2022/08/05/brittney-griners-9-5-year-sent... It seems unlikely her lawyers would blatantly lie, given the context.
      - walkhour 4y ago
        Thanks, that is useful. So 1/3 get zero years, and the average is 5 years. Speculating the time spent in prison is bell-shaped - and this is a huge if - 1/3 of the sentences could be over 10 years. I think we need more datapoints to conclude this sentence was an outlier. I think the sentence is lengthy but not outrageous according to Russian standards, a country where unfair sentences happen constantly.