If convicted, Griner could face 10 years in prison.
On February 17th, Brittney Griner was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport after being accused of bringing vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through security.
Griner was arrested a week before Russia invaded Ukraine after the West broke a promise made in the 1990s to not expand NATO. Russia attempted to compromise with NATO and Ukraine, however, the West refused.
The news of Griner’s detention did not surface until March.
Brittney Griner calls on White House to bring her, other Americans detained in Russia home: ‘I miss my family’
Brittney Griner’s trial continues later this week
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star Brittney Griner will appear in court Friday, more than four months after she was arrested in Russia for allegedly bringing vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport.
U.S. officials think Griner’s trial will be a “sham.”
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, issued a statement the following day condemning her “wrongful” detention and accusing Russian officials of creating the image of a fair trial.
“Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained for four months, and Russia is now engaging in theater by subjecting her to a sham trial in an effort to create a false pretense that she is anything other than a political prisoner,” Allred said in a press release.
According to a report from the State Department, judges can be subject to the influence of “the executive branch, the armed forces and other security forces” in “high-profile or politically sensitive cases.”
Is this really any different from American governments? Hmm…
That same report also found that the outcomes of some trials “appeared predetermined” and that, in 2020, only 0.34% of defendants were acquitted. Even if Griner is acquitted, the ruling could be overturned under Russian law.
“It’s not usually a question of what the verdict will be,” he told The Washington Post, “It’s more a question of what the sentence will be.”
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