KHIMKI, Russia — A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Greiner at her drug possession trial in Russia on Friday gave the court a letter from an American doctor recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury standout, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after customs officials said they found vape boxes containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison , if convicted of drug trafficking charges.
In court last week, Greener pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing the boxes, but said she had no criminal intent and said they were in her luggage because she had packed hastily on her return to Russia to played for the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team during the WNBA offseason.
In the Russian judicial system, a guilty plea does not automatically end the trial. After that plea, her court hearings focused on personal and written testimony about her good character and athletic skills.
“The attending physician gave recommendations to Britney about the use of medical cannabis,” said her lawyer Maria Blagovolina. “The permit is issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health.”
The defense on Friday also presented tests she underwent as part of an anti-doping test that found no banned substances in her system.
The next hearing in Griner’s case was scheduled for July 26.
Brittney Griner smiles in a defendant’s cell during a hearing in Russia. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images
US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said they were doing everything in their power to secure her release, as well as that of other Americans the US considers “wrongfully detained” by Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan. who is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage.
However, Washington may have little leverage over Moscow because of strong animosity over its military operation in Ukraine.
“During the hearings yesterday and today, what became abundantly clear is the tremendous respect and admiration both in the United States and here in Russia, where Ms. Greiner has been playing basketball for seven years, not only for her professional accomplishments, but also because of her character and integrity,” US embassy chargé d’affaires Elizabeth Rudd said outside the courthouse in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where the airport is located.
UMMC Yekaterinburg’s principal and team captain testified in her favor Thursday.
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Russian media have speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiring to kill and aiding and abetting U.S. citizens of a terrorist organization.
Russia has been campaigning for Bout’s release for years. But the wide disparity in the seriousness of their cases could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. Others speculated that Greener could be traded along with Whelan, who is serving 16 years in Russia on an espionage conviction that the US describes as manipulation.
The State Department’s designation of Greener as a wrongful detainer moves her case under the supervision of the president’s special envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator. The classification irked Russia.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being exchanged for a Russian detained in the U.S., Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s top diplomat, noted that until her trial is over, “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about further steps . “
Ryabkov warned that criticism from the US, including describing Griner as wrongfully detained and disparaging comments about the Russian justice system, “makes it difficult to engage in a detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”
Griner’s detention has been granted until December 20, suggesting the trial could last months. Griner’s lawyers, however, said they expect it to end around the beginning of August.
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