Lawyers for convicted basketball player Griner not ruling out filing pardon petition

MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - The lawyers for the American basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been given a nine-year prison sentence in Russia for smuggling drugs into the country, said they will use every possibility to secure her release.

"We will consider any possibility depending on the situation and our client's wishes, we'll do everything possible for her to walk free as soon as possible in any case," lawyer Maria Blagovolina said responding to a question from Interfax about filing of a pardon petition.

When asked by journalists about Griner's wellbeing after the sentencing the lawyer said the athlete was feeling ill.

Earlier on Thursday, Moscow's Khimki court sentenced Griner to nine years of imprisonment at a medium-security facility and a fine of one million rubles.