It has all the elements of a dark Cold War episode: an American basketball star is detained in Russia, entangled in what some American officials call a mock trial, influenced by the geopolitics of a war. Moscow accuses the United States of hyped the case for political reasons. Talk about a potential prisoner swapping bubbles beneath the surface.
as the process of Brittney Griner Resumes on Thursday in a courtroom outside Moscow, the world looks for clues to the fate of one of the world’s most famous prisoners, who spent more than 140 days in custody in Russia.
The case began days before Russia invaded Ukraine, when Ms Griner was accused by Russian authorities on February 17 of having a vape cartridge containing hash oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.
Last week, Mrs. Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession, emphasizing that she had no intention of breaking the law; her lawyers have said she accidentally packed the smoke cartridges. As her trial continues, questions arise: Is a conviction a foregone conclusion, as legal experts suggest? Can she face a 10-year prison sentence in a Russian penal colony? Or will a behind-the-scenes deal between Washington and Moscow set her free?
Given its bitter relations with Moscow, Washington’s ability to secure its freedom is limited. Its best hope, experts say, is that the Biden administration secures her freedom by releasing a Russian held in the United States. Russian media have linked her case with Victor Bouta Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence in Illinois for conspiracy to sell weapons to people who said they planned to kill Americans.
What you need to know about Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia
In the United States, Mrs. Griner’s case has attracted the attention of President Biden and the support of many in American sports, while also sparking criticism that Washington is not doing enough to secure her release.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has vowed that the US government will not back down until Ms. Griner and other “improperly detained Americans” are brought home.
The case is also linked to issues of race, gender and sexuality. Ms. Griner is black and openly gay, and her many supporters fear that her chances for a fair trial are even further away in Russia, a country where gay people are routinely discriminated against.
US basketball superstar LeBron James appeared recently to criticize the US government’s attempts to bring Ms. Griner home. “How can she feel like America has her back?” Mr James said in a trailer for an episode of his TV show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” “I would feel like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?'” He later clarified in a… tweet on tuesday that he “wasn’t knocking our beautiful country.”
Before Thursday’s hearing, Ms. Griner’s attorney, Maria Blagovolina, said her admission of guilt would not affect the pace of the trial.
The fate of Brittney Griner in Russia
The American basketball player has been held in a Russian prison for months on charges of smuggling hash oil into the country.
“In any case, the court will look at all the evidence,” said Ms Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin, a Moscow law firm, adding: “We hope her admission of guilt will make the court lenient.”
Whatever the outcome of the case, the emotional cost to Ms Griner, who has two Olympic gold medals, has been heavy.
“I’m terrified that I’ll be here forever,” Griner wrote in a… recent letter to President Bidenand added, “Please don’t forget me.”
Tania Ganguli contributed to the report.