The WNBA player was arrested in Russia for possession of cannabis oil capsules for vaporizers and accused of “massive drug trafficking” amid Washington-Moscow tensions over the war in Ukraine.
Brittney Griner was arrested in February when he arrived in Russia to join the EMMC Yekaterinburgteam where he plays in the offseason of WNBA. Cannabis vaporizer cartridges were found in his luggage and faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Since then he has been detained, amid tensions between Washington and Moscow through war in ukraine.
Griner’s lawyer told the international press that he fears his client is being used as political hostage to the dispute over the power of the two countries. Looks like I wasn’t wrong. He faces a 10-year prison sentence and hopes to be exchanged for a Russian prisoner nicknamed “The Merchant of Death.”
The basketball player WNBA Phoenix Mercury also plays, since 2015, in EMMC Yekaterinburg of Russia during the off-season of the American league. On February 17, he was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport with 0.702 grams of cannabis in vape cartridges.. A week later, Russia invaded Ukraine, which ultimately exacerbated tensions with the United States, Ukraine’s Western ally.
Griner was accused ‘big drug push’ and remained at the disposal of justice from that moment. He had an initial administrative hearing where a first court appearance was confirmed for July 1.
“Today’s hearing is administrative in nature. That said, the United States government has determined that Brittney Griner is being illegally detained and is being used as a political pawn. Negotiations for her imminent release, regardless of the outcome of the legal process, must be a priority and we hope that the president and the vice president will do everything in their power now to come to an agreement and bring him back to the country”stated Lindsay Kagawa Tailsdefense attorney for the athlete.
At the first hearing on khimki court, moscow, the imprisoned athlete did not make a statement and heard the testimonies of a customs official and a police agent. the officer, Lilia Belobrovova, admitted that he was the person who found the cannabis oil in the hand luggage of the American traveler through the scanner. Next, he ran his hand through Griner’s bags. The testimony of the agent, who first questioned the player at the airport, was behind closed doors because it involved state secrets.
After that first time wrote a letter to President Biden which their representatives also sent, only a few excerpts, to the media. Griner told the President of the United States: “I’m afraid I might just be here forever. I know that you are facing a lot, but please don’t forget about me and the other detainees (…). Please do everything to get us home“. Rumors of a prisoner exchange began to take hold. Russia wants Víktor back But, “The merchant of death”, a major arms dealer who was sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison for supplying arms to the Colombian FARC guerrillas.
The white housethrough it Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reported that the letter was read by Biden and, after family pressure for his silence, he also responded with a note delivered to him at the second hearing in person by Chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Russia, Elizabeth Rood: “I spoke to Mrs. Griner in the courtroom. She told me that she was eating well, was able to read books, and she assured me that, considering the circumstances, everything was fine for her. The most important thing was that I delivered to Griner a letter from President Biden and he was able to read that letter.”
At the second hearing on July 7, the American athlete, through a translator, he pleaded guilty to having cannabis oil in his luggage and argued that he did not want to commit a crime and that the possession of the banned substance in Russia was due to haste in preparing his bags; according to the agency interface.
A day before the third hearing, where the verdict is expected to be heard, Russia announced through its diplomatic spokesman Maria Zajavova: “We call on the US authorities not to speculate on such a sensitive matter, which affects the fate of specific people. We recommend that they give up any attempt to pressure us and we urge them to focus on the practical that work through established channels”. And he added that the Biden administration “You must decide what you want to do concretely. We are ready for it. Self-promotion or information campaigns are their options, but we will not participate in that.”
They also decided to postpone the court appearance by one day and moved from July 14 to 15. The player’s defense argued that the athlete was prescribed the use of medicinal cannabis: “The treating doctor recommended the medicinal use of cannabis to Brittney. Authorization was given by the Ministry of Health of the state of Arizona”, said lawyer María Blagovolina, quoted by the official Russian agency RIA Nóvosti. He added that he needed them because he was in severe pain and attached Griner’s doping control tests, all of which were negative.
In the possible negotiations for a possible exchange of hostages, the figure of the former marine also appears Paul Whelanimprisoned in Russia and sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage.
The last thing known was that Griner’s lawyers were given time to prepare his defense and present it last Tuesday, but there have been no further developments. USA not too sure about a prisoner exchange because it could mean that Russia or Venezuela arbitrarily detain US citizens to demand the same treatment as other prisoners.
The Griner case step by step
Source: Tycsports
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
