Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner was arrested during severe tension between Washington and Moscow, which has worsened with Russia's war on Ukraine.

Russian media has speculated that Washington could exchange Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles to a foreign terrorist group and kill U.S. citizens. In recent years, there has been a worrying rise in “hostage diplomacy,” in which governments seize rival nations’ citizens on flimsy charges to gain leverage. Asked about the possibility of a prisoner swap, Griner’s attorney was circumspect. Reed had received a nine-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of assault that endangered the lives of police officers. I believe that they will give her a maximum term so that the other side will react,” Pavlov predicted. “The WNBPA stands with Brittney Griner,” the statement read. I didn’t want to break the law.” She then asked to give her testimony at a later date, saying she needed time to prepare, and the court adjourned. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the push in the United States for a prisoner exchange was not helping Griner’s chances of release. “I think that they will be trying to raise the price as much as possible. “Because if they give her a short or mild term, then it will be hard to make the other side interested in negotiations.” Airport employees who witnessed the search of her bags testified for the prosecution, Griner’s lawyers said. RIGA, Latvia — American WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to carrying cannabis oil on the second day of her closely watched trial in Russia, where she faces up to 10 years in prison.

Griner was detained in February after vape canisters with cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage.

The foreign ministry spokesperson Alexei Zaitsev said on Wednesday: “This is a serious offence, confirmed by indisputable evidence … Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and Griner’s detention has been authorised until 20 December, suggesting the proceedings could last months. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.” They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she would never return home. The athlete was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage. Russia has shown no signs of backing off.

Griner, 31, could face up to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges under Russian law.

"She is able to read books and under the circumstances, she is doing well," Rood said in a statement. The White House said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Cherelle Griner on Wednesday to assure her that the president is working to secure Griner's release. Griner was later joined in the courtroom by three U.S. embassy representatives and her lawyers, with no TV cameras and only a few journalists allowed in. Before Griner's guilty plea, deputy foreign ministry spokesperson Alexey Zaitsev said Wednesday that she was arrested for "a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence." U.S. officials have said they are working behind the scenes to free her. In a tweet after the hearing, Whelan's twin, David, said he hopes "Griner's guilty plea will hasten the end of the injustice she's experiencing. In a statement, she said: "As we have stated before, we believe the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner under intolerable circumstances. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied Griner was being held as a hostage. Griner wrote an emotional letter to the president this week, pleading with him to bring her home. At the President's direction, the U.S. government continues to work aggressively, pursuing every avenue, to bring her home safely to her family, friends, and loved ones as soon as possible. Blagovolina said they hoped for leniency from the court. Elizabeth Rood, the charge d'affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said after the hearing that she was able to speak with Griner in the courtroom and Griner said that she was eating well.

The US basketball player admits the charges in a Russian court but denies any intent to break the law.

"We don't want Ms Griner to become a pawn in the political battle that's being waged throughout the world right now." I didn't want to break the law," Brittney Griner told the court in English. In handcuffs and wearing a red T-shirt and trousers, she said she would like to give her testimony later and needed time to prepare. I'm frustrated that my wife is not going to get justice." A US National Security Council spokeswoman said on Thursday she was wrongfully detained by Russia under "intolerable circumstances". She had travelled to Russia to play club basketball during the off-season and has featured in EuroLeague team UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014. Mr Biden told Cherelle Griner he was working to have her freed as soon as possible.

Griner, the W.N.B.A. star, pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia on Thursday. But her supporters are still determined to fight to bring her home.

She added: “The symbolism of that is not lost on any one of us.” “She is in the fight of her life right now, which is why we’ll be in Chicago to show our support for Brittney and for the administration and their efforts to bring her home as soon as possible. Jackson noted that the All-Star Game would take place on the 143rd day of Griner’s detention. “Brittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion,” Sharpton said in a statement. “And yet, we are very mindful that we are not near the end.” “Brittney Griner remains wrongfully detained in Russia, and nothing that happened today changes that 140 days later,” Engelbert said. That evening, Jackson attended a rally to support Brittney Griner at the Footprint Center arena in Phoenix. It had been hosted by the Phoenix Mercury and Representative Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, with hundreds of Griner’s supporters on hand. The league named her as an honorary starter for the All-Star Game on Sunday. After the State Department classified Griner as wrongfully detained, her closest supporters began to feel comfortable drawing attention to her detention. But despite her guilty plea on Thursday, the support she has received from her representatives, friends, family, teammates and others has not waned. And yet try to stay hopeful that there’s some forward progress to getting her home.” Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court on Thursday but denied she had intentionally broken the law.

The United States opposes this practice everywhere," a State Department spokesperson said. "We, as her defense, explained to her the possible consequences. "Please do all you can to bring us home." "I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American detainees..." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com "I'd like to plead guilty, your honour. U.S. officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner - or "BG" as she is known to basketball fans - who they say has been wrongfully detained. Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow attended Griner's trial and delivered a letter to her from Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Biden spoke to Griner's wife on Wednesday, telling her he was working to have the basketball star released "as soon as possible", the White House said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com "The WNBA continues to work diligently with the U.S. State Department, the White House, and other allies in and outside government to get Brittney home safely and as soon as possible," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN ...

"In her letter (to Biden), she said that she was scared," the coach said. "But Tom Brady wouldn't be there, right, because he doesn't have to go to a foreign country to supplement his income from the WNBA." "I know BG will be able to find comfort in knowing she has not been forgotten." Given the 99% reported conviction rate in Russian criminal cases, Griner was urged to weigh all the factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence. of smuggling less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner told the court Thursday she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

In February 2022, Brittney Griner, the legendary WNBA basketball player, was arrested in Moscow for allegedly having illegal vape cartridges. Now Russia is ...

His freedom could not restore that, and he will be forever known as the Merchant of Death, a stain he will never be able to remove. Bout has already lost what he most valued — his ability to move freely across the globe and act with impunity as an agent of chaos in the service of his Russian handlers and his own interests. The diplomatic and Department of Justice efforts to get Bout to the U.S. to stand trial were a testament to how a whole of government approach can work when done well. In his later years, he was reined in by the Russian state under Putin, no longer able to freelance at will and without unfettered access to massive caches of weapons. Bout ran an aviation and weapons empire from the fall of the Soviet Union until his arrest in Thailand in 2008. In November 2011, the notorious Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout was sentenced by a New York court to 25 years in prison for his crimes.

The outpouring of support isn't surprising. A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and clearing past cannabis convictions.

A forthcoming bill from Senate Democrats is also expected to automatically expunge nonviolent federal marijuana crimes and provide for resentencing. The long-anticipated Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is said to be nearing introduction. The project began in 2021 by examining qualified immunity and continues in 2022 by examining various ways to improve law enforcement. (In a call Wednesday, Biden told Griner's wife that he is working to get Griner released " as soon as possible." This column is part of a series by USA TODAY Opinion about police accountability and building safer communities. But excepting her status as a pro athlete, Griner – a Black gay woman – would be subject to the disproportionately higher rates of enforcement for cannabis possession that affect marginalized communities, particularly people of color, in the United States. Given the fact Biden has failed to help release tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully detained on nonviolent cannabis charges here in America, it feels naive to expect him to secure Griner's freedom. Even so, Congress needs to act, and fast. Russian authorities need to stop using Griner as a political pawn and release her from detention. After all, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug in the United States. This means that under federal drug trafficking guidelines, any U.S. citizen could face a jail sentence for flying with hash oil. The near universal support for Griner is by no means surprising. And, like Griner in Russia, non-U.S. citizens are regularly prosecuted under our harsh drug laws for crossing our border with cannabis.

Until Russia's courts, with their near perfect conviction rate, conclude the trial process, very little is likely to change.

Clearly this case has now become a political case, and there are already discussions, allegedly, about having a plea agreement and a prisoner swap with a Russian prisoner for Brittney Griner," he said. The admission of guilt could play in Griner's favor in the long term, as it may lead to a shorter trial than would be expected if her legal team were to mount a fierce resistance to the charges. "We'll have to see if she gets the maximum sentence. From a procedural standpoint, under Russia's legal system a pardon or prisoner swap can only happen if the individual has already been convicted. "We of course hope for the leniency of the court," the basketball player's Russian lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, was quoted as saying by local media on Thursday outside a Moscow courthouse. Griner is expected to give testimony during the next hearing, which is scheduled for July 14.

Celebrated US basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Moscow court on Thursday (July 7), with hopes of a more lenient sentence, ...

The US State Department said that Griner was “wrongfully detained” and some critics accuse Russia of using the basketball star as a political pawn in the present crisis. … Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up,” as reported by The Guardian. US Embassy officials attended Griner’s trial on Thursday after which Secretary of State Anthony Blinken tweeted that a letter from President Joe Biden was delivered to her. Many WNBA athletes chose to play overseas because of the massive pay disparity compared to their male counterparts in the National Basketball Association (NBA), whose earnings can go up to tens of millions of dollars. The two-time Olympic gold medallist has been in custody since February 17, when two vape cartridges containing small amounts of cannabis oil were found in her luggage while she was at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches, the centre player has been with the team Phoenix Mercury since 2013.

Brittney Griner is a pawn, caught between Russia and the U.S. during a particularly tense time in the relationship between the two superpowers, writes CBC ...

Griner and her lawyers could have undertaken a long and costly trial, but in a country where the odds of an acquittal are even more remote than they are in the U.S., fighting this case likely looked like a waste of several weeks and countless dollars. #FreeBrittneyGriner 140 days our friend and sister @brittneygriner has been wrongfully detainee in a Russian prison. A technical glitch, for sure, but hardly a sign that U.S. diplomats were treating this case with the urgency it deserved. Earlier this month, Dawn Staley, head coach of the women's team at the University of South Carolina, added a pointed Twitter message at President Biden to her long series of public statements in support of Griner. Russian cops could have charged Griner with something more in line with her alleged offence, threatened her with the local equivalent of a light sanction and moved on. To recap, the Russian government has reportedly proposed freeing Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer, nicknamed "The Merchant of Death," currently serving 25 years in federal prison. The point where the U.S. can call Russia's bluff, because they also have something Russia wants. "#FreeBrittneyGriner 138 days our friends and sister @brittneygriner has been wrongfully detained in a Russia prison," Staley tweeted. So if the Biden administration isn't already on the phone trying to arrange a swap, maybe they've deduced, reasonably, that the two people involved aren't of equal value. This is the charge and the allegation Russia expects the rest of us to reconcile? But they pressed ahead with a process that defies any sense of proportion between potential punishment and alleged crime, while conveniently putting the U.S. in a sticky diplomatic position. "There was no intent," Griner reportedly told a Russian judge while entering her plea.

Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty in the Russian court where she's on trial for drug possession. NPR's A Martinez talks with veteran defense lawyer ...

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The W.N.B.A. star's appearances this week during her trial on drug charges in Russia highlighted the unclear path to her release and heightened her ...

I visited the arena in April for a Mercury preseason game and was surprised by the muted acknowledgment of Griner in a city where she has given so much. “Free B.G.,” said DeWanna Bonner, of the W.N.B.A.’s Connecticut Sun, speaking to the press. Known as B.G., she helped lead the Mercury to a W.N.B.A. title in 2014 but is as admired there for helping the homeless and championing L.G.B.T.Q. rights. At the time, Griner’s Mercury teammates were following the lead of her advisers, who had decided to stay low-key and not raise a ruckus that might draw Putin’s ire. Over social media, in news conferences and interviews, players demanded that Biden and the White House do whatever was needed to bring her home. The approach flipped a few weeks later when the U.S. State Department declared that Griner had been “wrongfully detained.” The league and its players began to roar — the same as they often do on pressing social issues. Male athletes are the beneficiaries of a sports ecosystem in which their leagues garner more TV time, their endorsements generate more money and their accomplishments are more loudly lauded. It’s a statement about the value of a Black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person.” If this were James in custody — or Stephen Curry or Tom Brady — it stands to reason that their fame would push a more fervent mainstream call for release than has been the case for Griner. If this were James in custody, well, a whole lot more than a few hundred people would have shown up to rally for his release. The Mercury center’s teammates, supporters and wife, Cherelle Griner, have not been able to speak with her directly.

Griner was detained in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage.

Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. The reports quoted Griner as pleading guilty to the charges at Thursday’s court hearing. Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage.

Brittney Griner wasn't the first female basketball great to look for a better paycheck in Russian leagues.

Henry Abbott, another former ESPN basketball writer who now runs the digital media company True Hoop, ran the money-laundering rumors by a source: “I asked a veteran of the game, and she laughed, asked if I really didn’t know. The NBA is projecting $10 billion in revenue this season, according to Commissioner Adam Silver. Though the WNBA generates $60 million in revenue annually, Silver said in 2018 that its costs exceed that amount, and the league has lost $10 million on average each year that it has existed. “The only reason you go there is for money,” Taurasi said on an ESPN podcast that aired in 2020. Countries with tense relationships with the U.S. are more often the same ones that offer the most to America’s basketball greats. Griner reportedly makes $1 million a year overseas playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League. For the Mercury, her salary was $221,450 for the 2021-22 season, making her one of the WNBA's highest-paid players. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has pushed back on the theory that playing overseas is strictly a financial decision. Her next court hearing is scheduled for July 14, and Griner’s legal team said they expect the trial to conclude at the beginning of August, according to Reuters. The WNBA Players Association did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment. Russian authorities detained Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury and an NCAA champion at Baylor University, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February after claiming to find two vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her carry-on luggage. Just because, you know, she can't make enough money in the WNBA, like, to sustain her life." I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner told a judge Thursday at the second hearing of her trial, according to Reuters. “I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare.” Griner said in court that she had packed in a rush and the vape cartridges made it into her bag by accident, according to Russian media reports.

Cherelle Griner, wife of detained Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, said President Joe Biden has written a letter back to Griner.

The basketball star played in Russia's women's basketball league during the WNBA off-season. Cherelle said the Biden administration is the first her wife ever voted for. "I was able to read the letter, and it brought me so much joy, as well as BG," Cherelle said Friday. "I believe every word that she said to him he understood.