RIGA, Latvia – On the second day of a Russian court hearing, American WNBA player Brittney Griner admitted to possessing cannabis oil. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Given the extreme diplomatic tensions surrounding Moscow’s horrific conflict in Ukraine, the question is whether Washington and Moscow can agree to release him and other American prisoners there today.
“I want to plead guilty, your honor.” Griner said Thursday. “But I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to break the law,” he said. The court then adjourned while a later date was requested for the preparation of evidence.
A senior Russian official previously said no action would be taken on a prisoner exchange until the issue was resolved.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the exchange of American prisoners does not increase Grinner’s chances of freedom. Ryabkov spoke to the press before the start of the court hearing in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow.
Griner pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis oil on July 7 and currently faces up to 10 years in prison. Griner has been labeled “wrongfully detained” by the State Department.
“The attempts of the American side to create hype and make noise in the public environment are understandable, but they do not help to solve the problem in practice,” Rjabkov said. Griner appeared in court handcuffed and wearing a red shirt and red pants, according to images from state news agency RIA Novosti.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the release of Griner and other Americans imprisoned in Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan, was a top US priority. “I will not rest until Britney, Paul Whelan and other wrongfully imprisoned Americans are reunited with their loved ones,” he tweeted.
Also in the courtroom was Elizabeth Rudd, deputy ambassador at the US Embassy in Moscow. He gave Greener a letter from President Biden and spoke briefly about his situation in prison.
“They said I eat well. He can read and is doing well under the circumstances,” Rudd wrote in an email to The Washington Post. “Most importantly, we were able to share President Biden’s letter with Ms. Greener … and she was able to read the letter.”
Everything you need to know about Britney Griner from Russia
Rudd said the US government was committed to the “highest standards” to keep Mr Greener and all wrongfully imprisoned US citizens at home. Russian customs officials told a hearing last week that Griner was found with two vapor cartridges in his luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in February, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
According to Russian media reports, Griner told the court on Thursday that a vape cartridge accidentally fell into his luggage while he was rushing to pick up the package. According to Griner’s attorney, airport employees who saw his bags searched testified for the prosecution.
Like many professional basketball players, Griner spent her summers playing basketball in Russia to rebuild her finances and maintain her skills. “We already have mechanisms to discuss these issues,” Ryabkov said, adding that the Russian side would be open to negotiations after the Grinner case is resolved.
Griner, who attended the July 7 hearing, was arrested at Moscow airport in February. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)
“It is clear that the necessary legal procedures have not yet been completed. Until then, there is absolutely no nominal, formal or procedural reason for further action,” Ryabkov said. It is unclear when Griner will be sentenced, but the trial is scheduled to continue on July 14. “We expect the trial to end quickly. There won’t be three to five hearings,” one of his lawyers, Maria Blagovolina, told the Post.
He added: “I hope the guilty plea will influence the court to impose a lighter sentence.” Ivan Pavlov, a prominent Russian human rights lawyer who was forced to flee the country in September, said Russian courts would grant pardons if the defendants pleaded guilty.
However, he noted that this is a political case and a harsher sentence would be appropriate. “I think they’re trying to maximize their costs. “I think they will give him as long a sentence as possible so that the other side will get revenge,” Pavlov predicted. This is because if the other person is given time in the short or medium term, it will be difficult to bring that person into the discussion.
Griner’s detention comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, exacerbated by Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. The US Embassy in Moscow warned Americans not to travel to Russia in January after diplomatic efforts to avert the conflict failed.
On Wednesday, the White House said in a statement that Griner was being held in “unacceptable conditions.” After calling Griner’s wife, Cherelle, to assure her they were doing everything possible to secure the release of Griner and Whelan, Biden and Vice President Harris made the announcement. Whelan, a security consultant, has been detained since December 2018. While traveling to Moscow for a friend’s wedding, he was arrested in his hotel room, charged with espionage in a secret court and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, said the family was “shocked” that Biden reached out to Greener’s wife but did not call her.
In an April prisoner swap with the United States, Moscow swapped Navy veteran Trevor Reed for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking in Connecticut. Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of a life-threatening attack on a Russian police officer.
Britney Grinner was arrested in Russia
“I fear I will be here forever,” Griner wrote in a recent letter to Biden, imploring him and other inmates not to forget. According to his supporters in the United States, he is a political pawn and prisoner.
The statement of solidarity from the WNBA Players Association came hours after the Phoenix Mercury player pleaded guilty. “Brittney Griner and the WNBPA,” the statement read. “Russian courts are civil courts where 99% of convictions are handed down. They are different from our legal system in terms of navigation and understanding. What is known is that, despite legal proceedings, the US State Department will continue negotiations for the release of Britney Griner, considering that she was detained illegally for some reason.
American women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe expressed her support for Griner as she arrived to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Thursday afternoon. In the Instagram post, Rapinoe wore a white and cream floral jacket with the letters “BG” sewn into the right hem.
According to Russian media rumors, Washington may swap Griner for Victor Butt, a Russian arms dealer currently serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison for trying to sell surface-to-air missiles a foreign terrorist organization. Intent to kill Americans. Booth, who inspired Nicolas Cage’s Warlords, was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and spent years smuggling weapons to warlords in Africa and the Middle East before being extradited to the United States in 2010.
Russia has called for Bout’s release for more than a decade, describing his arrest and trial as “illegal and political”.
On the question of whether a prisoner exchange was possible, Grinner’s advice was followed. But Blagovolina noted that while “we are lawyers, not diplomats,” Biden’s letter was “an indication that the administration has support and will take some steps.”
According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the release of prisoners and hostages, 64 Americans are being held hostage or illegally imprisoned abroad. What is worrying is that “hostage diplomacy”, where a government kidnaps a citizen of another country to seize power, has become more common recently. In addition to Russia, similar situations have occurred in China, North Korea and Iran. In early May, the State Department concluded that Griner was being held against his will. As a result, oversight of the Greener case was transferred to the representative of the president’s hostage, Roger Carstens. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the criticism was not political and pointed out that many other countries, including Russia, have stricter anti-drug laws.
