The trial of WNBA player, Brittney Griner began today, Friday, July 1 in a court near Moscow, where she faces a possibility of up to ten years in prison on drug smuggling charges, in a case that has highlighted the frayed relations between the United States and Russia.
Griner, a Houston native, and Phoenix Mercury center has been detained since February when Russian authorities allege she was found in a Moscow airport with cannabis-derived vape cartridges in her possession. She hasn’t made any public statements since her detention, so it’s unclear what she thinks about the accusations leveled against her or what she claims happened leading up to her arrest.
Brittney Griner was photographed entering the courthouse in Khimki, outside Moscow, early Friday. As she walked down a stairwell wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt, she appeared to be looking straight ahead.
One of Griner’s attorneys, Alexander Boikov, told reporters that the court questioned two prosecution witnesses. Behind closed doors, a Sheremetyevo Airport customs employee who searched Griner before she was detained was questioned about the circumstances of Griner’s detention.
Brittney Griner’s next hearing has been set for July 7 at 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET). When asked about Griner’s mood, another of her attorneys, Maria Blagovolina, said, “She’s worried, naturally.”
Griner, whose arrest came less than a week before Russia started invading Ukraine, plays for a Russian basketball team during the WNBA’s offseason.
The State Department stated in May that Griner is being “wrongfully detained by the Russian government,” an official classification that means the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, working in collaboration with the State Department, can be more aggressive in securing her release.
The charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Moscow, Elizabeth Rood, said in a statement on Friday that the embassy was able to speak with Griner in the courtroom.
“She’s doing about as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances,” Rood said. She stated that the embassy cares “deeply about this case and about Ms. Griner’s welfare, as do so many Americans, and as we do with all U.S. citizen prisoners overseas.”
“The Russian Federation has wrongfully detained Brittney Griner,” Rood said, adding that “the U.S. government, from the highest levels, is working hard to bring Brittney and all wrongfully detained U.S. nationals home safely.”
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied the arrest was “politically motivated” at a news conference on Friday “and insisted that Griner was detained for possessing “prohibited drugs.”
“The facts show that the famous athlete was detained with prohibited drugs that contained narcotic substances,” he said. “And there are indeed articles in Russian legislation that provide for punishment for such crimes.” He stated that the outcome of Griner’s trial would be decided by the court.
After a pretrial hearing on Monday, a State Department spokesperson stated that the US “will continue to press for her release.”
