Brittney Griner trial - live: Wife describes ‘gut-wrenching time’ in rally with Al Sharpton
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More than four months after her arrest in Moscow, US women’s basketball star Brittney Griner has returned to court for the continuation of her trial for drug charges.
The two-time Olympian was led into court at Khimki City in handcuffs, clutching a photo of her wife Cherelle. She was joined by her lawyers and US embassy staff. Only a few journalists are permitted in court.
The charges against her include intentionally transporting narcotics. Facing up to 10 years in prison in Russia, Griner pleaded guilty but added there was no intent to break the law and she had packed in a hurry. She is hoping for leniency from the court.
Griner will give testimony later with the next court hearing scheduled for 14 July. Elizabeth Rood of the US Embassy was able to speak with her in court and share with her a letter from President Joe Biden.
A centre for the Phoenix Mercury, Griner had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA off-season, Griner was arrested when Russian airport security say they found vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage.
Russian officials have said Griner can seek clemency or appeal after any verdict is handed down.
Brittney Griner ‘decided to take full responsibility’ with guilty plea, Russian legal team says
Megan Rapinoe wears tribute to Brittney Griner while receiving Presidential Medal of Freedom 
Why is WNBA star Brittney Griner detained in Russia? Wife of detained basketball star Brittney Griner pleads US government to bring her back
What has Russia said about Brittney Griner?
Russia has defend the arrest of US women’s basketball star Brittney Griner, pushing back on claims by the Biden administration that her detention in the country is “illegal”.
In a statement, Russian authorities said 31-year-old Ms Griner was detained by Moscow police in February based on “objective facts and evidence”.
“She was caught red-handed while trying to smuggle hash oil,” the statement, issued by Rusia’s foreign ministry to CNN, said. “In Russia, this is a crime.”
Russia defends arrest of WNBA star Brittney Griner: ‘She was caught red-handed’
Brittney Griner’s wife breaks silence on her Russia detention
The wife of women’s basketball player Brittney Griner has welcomed news of the release of another American, Trevor Reed, from Russia as part of a prisoner swap.
Cherelle Griner, who is married to the WNBA player imprisoned in Russia, said she felt “joy”as Trevor Reed, a former US Marine, was freed.
Gino Spocchia has the story.
Brittney Griner’s wife breaks silence on her Russia detention
Case comes at low point in US-Russia relations
Brittney Griner’s case comes at an extraordinarily low point in Moscow-Washington relations. Griner was arrested less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already high tensions between the two countries. The US then imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow, and Russia denounced the U. for sending weapons to Ukraine.
Elizabeth Rood, US charge d’affaires in Moscow, was in court and said she spoke with Griner, who “is doing as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances.”
“The Russian Federation has wrongfully detained Brittney Griner,” Ms Rood said. “The practice of wrongful detention is unacceptable wherever it occurs and is a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working, and living abroad.”
She said the US government, from its highest levels, “is working hard to bring Brittney and all wrongfully detained U.S. nationals home safely.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied politics played a role in Griner’s detention and prosecution.
“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Mr Peskov told reporters.
“In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated,” he added.
Griner’s supporters had kept a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution until May, when the State Department reclassified her as wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the US government’s chief negotiator.
AP
What is hashish oil and how did it land Brittney Griner in a Russian courtroom?
WNBA star Brittney Griner was on her way to Russia to play basketball when customs officials allegedly discovered contraband in her bag.
According to the Russians, Mr Griner allegedly packed hashish oil in her bag, likely in the form of a vape.
It was that discovery that led to her now five month detention in Russia. On Friday, Ms Griner appeared in Russian court for the first time and faced charges of smuggling less than a gram of hash oil inside of her luggage. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
But what is it?
What is hashish oil and how did it land Brittney Griner in a Russian courtroom?
What charges does Brittney Griner face at trial
A report by Russian news agency TASS details the charges against Brittney Griner as read out in court today.
“Being quite aware that it is banned to carry narcotic substances in the Eurasian Economic Union, she bought two cartridges holding 0.252 and 0.45 grams of cannabis oil, or 0.702 grams in total, for personal consumption from an unidentified person in an unidentified location and under unidentified circumstances but not later than February 17, 2022,” the prosecutor said, adding that later Griner put the prohibited substances in her backpack and suitcase in a bid to smuggle the drugs into Russia.
Brittney Griner’s wife says 6’9” WBNA star forced into tiny cage for journeys to court
Brittney Griner’s wife says the WBNA she is forced into a tiny cage and driven for five hours every time she has to appear in court.
Cherelle Griner told CNN’s New Day on Thursday that her 6 feet and 9 inches tall wife has to endure a five-hour round trip from where is being detained to court, during which she is kept in a small cage and forced to bend her body to fit inside.
Cherelle said Brittney, also known as BG, told her she was “exhausted”.
”So BG is having to travel over five hours round trip when she goes to court in a very, very, very tiny cage with her knees bent, feet up to the ground because it’s not big enough for her to fit in.”
Recap: What has happened to WNBA star Brittney Griner?
As WNBA star Brittney Griner waits for her trial in Russia to resume, catch up on the details of the case and how US authorities are responding to her detainment:
What happened to WNBA star Brittney Griner?
Griner writes letter to Biden pleading for help
Brittney Griner has written a letter to President Joe Biden pleading for help in freeing her from jail in Russia.
In excerpts shared by her representatives, she writes: “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.”
In another portion, she tells the president: “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. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year."
She further says: “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you.”
Ms Griner adds: “I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Dozens of groups call for Brittney Griner’s release
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and a range other human rights, LGBTQ+ and sporting organisations have written a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris calling on the Biden administration to do more for Brittney Griner’s release.
Abe Asher has more:
40-plus organisations call on Biden to step up efforts to free Brittney Griner
Journalist held hostage by Iranians slams US response to Griner case
Jason Rezaian knows a thing or two about international hostage situations.
The former Tehran bureau chief of the Washington Post was held for nearly two years in Iranian prison on trumped up espionage charges until being released in 2016.
Earlier this year, he slammed how the US has been responding to the Brittney Griner case.
As he wrote in March:
The U.S. government needs a more robust response to these cases. It should make clear that, if a detention of an American is found to be politically motivated, there will be swift and severe consequences. The current, long-standing public approach of responding in a diplomatic and noncommittal tone, lest we further agitate the hostage-taking states, actually ensures the opposite: It leaves our citizens languishing in prison, often for years, and signals to offenders that they can get away with it.
Critically, the United States must begin to view state hostage-taking as a serial crime perpetrated by the same actors and develop effective and credible deterrents.
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