Brittney Griner trial resumes in Russia
Proceedings resumed Friday in Russia for American basketball star Brittney Griner, who pleaded guilty last week to drug charges stemming from a February arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Surrounded by three security personnel, the basketball player was led to the courtroom in handcuffs, wearing a yellow and blank tie-dyed Nirvana T-shirt ahead of her hearing at 10 a.m. local time.
The defense submitted more documents to the court, including around 20 character references from different charities and sporting organizations, as well as medical records purporting to show a history of injuries that has resulted in severe chronic pain.
Griner's lawyers also submitted a document granting permission for the use of cannabis for medical purposes to treat severe chronic pain issued by Arizona's Department of Health, and the player’s doping test results, all of which were negative.
All members of the press were allowed into the courthouse on Friday, the first time they have been allowed to do so since the trial began.
Griner, 31, has remained in detention after Russian authorities said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Her lawyer, Alexander Boikov, previously told reporters that Griner admitted that the vape canisters were hers, but said she brought them to Russia unintentionally.
On Thursday, Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a center for the Phoenix Mercury, appeared in a Russian courtroom wearing an olive-colored shirt and glasses. She was joined by her legal team and three U.S. Embassy representatives.
Her defense called Maxim Ryabkov, the director of UMMC — the Russian basketball club Griner played with during the WNBA offseason, as a witness. He described her as “an outstanding player” and a responsible person.
UMMC teammate Evgenia Belyakova also testified, saying Griner is “a true leader” and role model. Belyakova said Griner’s contribution to Russian basketball was “invaluable.”
“We miss her very much. We miss her energy,” Belyakova said, speaking to reporters outside court.
Calls for Griner's release have intensified in recent weeks. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden reassured her wife, Cherelle Griner, that he was working to secure Brittney Griner's release as fast as possible.
The Kremlin declined to comment Thursday on speculation over whether Griner could be swapped for a convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S., Reuters reported.
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was ready to work with the U.S. on a possible exchange and urged Washington to abandon attempts to exert pressure on Russia and not speculate on this “sensitive matter,” according to the Interfax news agency.
Griner's case has drawn comparisons to Naama Issachar, an American-Israeli woman detained in Russia for 10 months after airport authorities found a small amount of cannabis in her luggage.
Isaachar secured a pardon in 2020 from President Vladimir Putin as geopolitical tensions escalated between Putin and then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Her fate became tied to an unrelated case involving an Israeli Supreme Court decision to extradite an alleged Russian hacker to the U.S.
