Camila Vega
More than four months after Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport for cannabis possession, a Russian court has set a July 1 start date for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner’s criminal trial.
The Phoenix Mercury star was also ordered to remain in custody for the duration of her criminal trial. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale drug smuggling charges. Less than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike what happens in the United States, acquittals can be overturned.
On Monday, June 27, the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki extended Brittney Griner’s detention for another six months after she appeared for a preliminary hearing held behind closed doors. Griner had previously been ordered to remain in custody until July 2. Griner’s arrest and trial come at an extraordinary low point in relations between Moscow and Washington.
The player was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, exacerbating already high tensions with sweeping U.S. sanctions. In the midst of the tensions, Brittney Griner’s supporters had taken a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution, until May, when the State Department reclassified her as an unjust detainee and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the U.S. government’s chief negotiator.
Brittney Griner’s possible conviction
That move has brought more attention to the Brittney Griner case, with supporters encouraging a prisoner swap like the one in April that brought home Navy veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.
Others have suggested that she could be exchanged in conjunction with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence for an espionage conviction that the U.S. has repeatedly described as a frame-up.
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was asked Sunday on CNN whether a joint trade of Griner and Whelan for Bout was being considered, but he dodged the question. “As a general proposition … I have no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being unlawfully detained in one way or another around the world come home,” he said. But “I can’t comment in detail on what we are doing, except to say that this is a top priority.”
Any exchange would apparently require Brittney Griner to first be convicted and sentenced, then apply for a presidential pardon, said Maria Yarmush, an attorney specializing in international civil matters. That move has brought more attention to Griner’s case, with supporters encouraging a prisoner swap like the one in April.
Russian media have repeatedly raised speculation that Griner could be exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence for conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
What happened after the letter to Joe Biden?
Following a letter sent to Joe Biden from Griner, the player has decided to plead guilty:
According to her legal team, “BG entered a guilty plea today. It was her decision, prompted by a discussion with her Russian legal defense team.” “Brittney sets an example of courage. She decided to take full responsibility for her actions, as she knows she is a role model for many people.”
“Taking into account the nature of his case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to both world and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the statement will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no harsh sentence.”
Griner’s guilty plea comes just one day after Russia’s Foreign Ministry said during a press conference that the WNBA star will have the ability to appeal her verdict or seek clemency. The Foreign Ministry also disputed claims made by the United States that she was unjustly detained on February 17.
The White House confirmed Wednesday that President Biden spoke with Griner’s wife and is actively working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. citizens being unjustly detained or taken hostage in Russia and around the world. Griner’s legal team said it expected the trial to conclude in early August.
