The trial of American basketball star Britney Greener began in a Moscow courtroom on Friday. The 31-year-old WNBA star faces up to 10 years in prison on drug-trafficking charges.
Griner arrived at the city court in Khimki, on the outskirts of Moscow, wearing handcuffs and wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt, accompanied by her legal team. The judge heard testimony from witnesses during a three-hour hearing before announcing that the trial would resume on July 7.
Griner, who plays for a Russian WNBA basketball team in the offseason, was arrested in February at Moscow International Airport just days before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, sending relations with the United States into a tailspin.
WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Greiner arrives for a court hearing in Khimki, outside Moscow, July 1, 2022. KIRILL KUDYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty
After an airport screener found vape cartridges in her luggage, authorities later said they contained a “significant amount” of cannabis-derived oil. Marijuana is illegal in Russia for recreational and medical use, and its possession carries severe penalties.
Griner has not made any public statements since her arrest, and her stance on whether she accepts or denies the charge remains unclear.
American chargé d’affaires Elizabeth Rudd attended Friday’s court hearing and told reporters afterward that Greener was “keeping the faith.” Rudd said she has spoken with Greener and that the basketball player is doing “as well as can be expected.”
“The Russian Federation wrongfully detained Brittney Greener,” Rudd said. “The practice of wrongful detention is unacceptable wherever it occurs and is a threat to the safety of anyone who travels, works and lives abroad. Rudd added that the US government is working at the “highest level” to “bring Britney and all wrongfully detained US citizens home safely”.
Most media were barred from the courtroom on Friday, which the court said was at Griner’s request, according to Mediazona, which covers justice in Russia.
Russia expert Jeff Hawn told CBS News this week that Russia is effectively holding Greener “hostage.”
“It’s quite clear that they shouldn’t have charged as hard as they did,” he told CBS News Senior Foreign Correspondent Charlie D’Agata. “They chose to do this to draw the attention of the US and threaten it with the worst possible outcome.
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With relations between Moscow and Washington at an all-time low not seen since the days of the Cold War, Greiner’s family and teammates stayed away to avoid drawing public attention to her case and potentially making her even more valuable asset for Russian propaganda. In May, however, the US State Department declared her wrongfully detained and transferred oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage issues.
On Friday, the Kremlin rejected the idea that Griner’s case was politically motivated.
“This cannot be politically motivated,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing. “She was in possession of illegal drugs containing narcotic substances.”
Greener’s wife Cherrell told the Reverend Al Sharpton on his radio show this week that she had not heard her partner’s voice since she was taken into custody, but she said Greener had told her in letters that she was “struggling and terrified”. .
“I’m not going to let them break me,” Greener said in the letters, according to Cherrell. “I know they’re trying, but I’ll do my best to last until I get home.”
“I hope this is quick,” Cherrell said, “because I’m not well.”
Griner’s supporters have called on the Biden administration to facilitate a prisoner swap similar to the one in which former US Marine Trevor Reed was released in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking, in April.
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Russian media have speculated that Moscow may try to trade Griner for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The so-called “Death Merchant” is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US for conspiring to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organization.
Another former US Marine remains in custody in Russia: Paul Whalen is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges. The US government said it was being used as a bargaining chip in potential negotiations between Moscow and Washington.
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