Brittney Griner again in Russian court docket on hashish cost amid U.S. launch efforts; closing statements to return Thursday

KHIMKI, Russia — American basketball star Brittney Griner was again in court docket on Tuesday for her trial for hashish possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to safe her launch.

Throughout the listening to, prosecutors known as a state narcotics skilled who analyzed hashish present in Griner’s baggage. Her protection fielded a specialist who challenged the evaluation, charging that it was flawed and did not conform to official guidelines.

Griner was escorted into court docket in handcuffs and positioned inside a cage within the trial in Khimki, a city on the northern fringe of Moscow. Whereas within the cage, she held up private images.

The trial adjourned till Thursday, when closing statements are scheduled. Sources have instructed ESPN’s T.J. Quinn {that a} verdict and sentence are expected Friday.

If convicted, the WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist might face 10 years in jail. As her trial has progressed, the Biden administration has confronted rising public strain to get her launched.

In a unprecedented transfer, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken final week spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, urging him to simply accept a deal below which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.

The Lavrov-Blinken name marked the highest-level recognized contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia despatched troops into Ukraine greater than 5 months in the past, the direct outreach at odds with U.S. efforts to isolate the Kremlin.

Individuals conversant in the proposal say it envisions buying and selling Griner and Whelan for the infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout. It underlines the general public strain that the White Home has confronted to get Griner launched.

White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre instructed reporters Monday that Russia has made a “unhealthy religion” response to the U.S. authorities’s provide, a counteroffer that American officers do not regard as critical. She declined to elaborate.

Griner has acknowledged there have been vape canisters containing hashish oil in her baggage when she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. However she insisted that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her baggage as a result of she was packing rapidly. Griner performed for a Russian ladies’s basketball crew within the WNBA offseason.

To bolster her case, her protection attorneys have offered testimony from docs that she was prescribed hashish as a therapy for ache. Medical marijuana therapy shouldn’t be authorized in Russia.

“There are a number of elements that may taken by the court docket under consideration,” Griner’s legal professional Maria Blagovolina instructed reporters after Tuesday’s listening to, including that Griner “admitted that she did deliver one thing, however we have to know what she did deliver.”

Whereas judges have leeway to think about mitigating elements below Russian legislation, acquittals are uncommon and account for fewer than 1% of circumstances in Russian prison prosecutions.

A conviction, nevertheless, might probably pave the best way for Griner’s trade, as Russian officers stated it might occur solely after the judicial course of is accomplished.

Tom Firestone, a Washington legal professional who previously served as authorized adviser on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, stated Griner could possibly be handed a troublesome sentence as a approach for Russians “to maximise their leverage in negotiations.” He instructed The Related Press that Russia “might wish to let this play out somewhat bit longer and attempt to extract extra concessions.”

Russian officers have scoffed at U.S. statements concerning the case, saying they present a disrespect for Russian legislation. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to debate the problem via “quiet diplomacy with out releases of speculative info.”

Requested concerning the newest White Home remark relating to the Russian counteroffer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not provide any particulars.

“Any trade of data on the topic needs to be discreet with none ‘loudspeaker diplomacy,'” he instructed reporters. “Public trade of positions won’t yield any outcome.”

Data from The Related Press was used on this report.