 |
| Photo Credit: AP. |
American basketball star Brittney Griner was taken to a Russian court Tuesday as she returns for her cannabis possession trial.
Prosecutors
invited a state narcotics expert to analyze the cannabis found in Griner’s
luggage while her defense fielded a specialist who challenged the analysis,
arguing it was flawed and did not conform to official rules, The Associated
Press reports.
The Women’s
National Basketball Associated (WNBA) star could be sentenced to 10 years behind
bars if she is convicted. The two times Olympic champion had earlier written to
the Biden administration to secure her release.
Can Secretary Blinken secure Griner and Whelan's release from Russia?
The
Associated Press reported that last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appealing to him to
accept a deal to secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American
imprisoned in Russian on alleged espionage conviction.
Griner and
Whelan may be traded for the Russian notorious arms trader Viktor Bout who is
servicing a prison term in the U.S., people familiar with the situation told The
Associated Press.
Griner sent letter to Biden in July pleading for help
In July
Griner sent a letter to President Joe Biden in a passionate appeal for help
following her prolonged incarceration in Russia. In a letter sent to the White
House through her representatives, Griner said she feared she might never
return home, asking that the President not “forget about me and the other
American Detainees.”
Griner’s
agent Lindsay Kagawa confirmed the delivery of the later to the White House.
″…As I sit
here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of
my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified
I might be here forever,” Griner wrote.
“On the 4th
of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our
freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran,” the Phoenix Mercury
center added. “It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because
freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
What did Griner arrested in Russia?
Griner was
arrested on February 17 in Russia on charges of possessing cannabis oil while
returning to play for her Russian team.
Griner has
acknowledged there were vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage
when she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. But she insisted that
she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage
because she was packing hastily. Griner played for a Russian women’s basketball
team in the WNBA off-season.
Griner’s
defense team have presented testimony from doctors that she was prescribed
cannabis as a treatment for pain even though marijuana treatment in illegal in
Russia, according to The Associated Press.
Russian
officials have indicated that any possible prisoner swap could only happen at
the end of criminal proceedings. That could give the Russians enough leverage
to negotiate her exchange.