KHIMKI, Russia — American basketball star Brittney Griner testified at her drug trial Wednesday that the interpreter provided to her during her interrogation translated only a small part of what was said and that officials ordered her to sign documents without giving her explanations of what they said.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. She acknowledged in court this month that she had vape bottles containing cannabis oil when she arrived in Russia, but says she had no criminal intent and the bottles were in her luggage by mistake, given how hastily she packed.
During his statement, the WNBA Phoenix Mercury star said he had a grueling 13-hour drive from Arizona to Moscow while convalescing from COVID-19. She insisted that she did not know how the cannabis oil for which she had a doctor’s recommendation appeared in her suitcase, but she explained that she had packed it in a hurry and under stress.
She recalled her luggage being searched upon arrival in Moscow on February 17 and inspectors removing her from the queue when they found the boats.
In addition to the interpreter making an incomplete translation, Griner said he was not told his rights, was not allowed to consult an attorney, and was ordered to sign documents without explaining their content.
After an hours-long process that she did not understand, she was allowed to hand over her belongings to a lawyer and was led away in handcuffs, Griner said. She said she was given a cursory translation of her accusations against her at a hearing on February 19 in which a court upheld her imprisonment.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of drug transportation. The trial began on July 1 and previous court sessions have been brief, some lasting as little as an hour.
It’s unclear how long the trial will last, but a court has authorized Griner’s jail time until Dec. 20. She went to Russia to play for a country league team during the WNBA offseason.
During Tuesday’s session, which lasted about 90 minutes, a Russian neuropsychologist testified about the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, which remains illegal in Russia. Griner’s defense has presented a letter from an American doctor recommending that the basketball player use medical cannabis as a pain reliever.
Griner said Wednesday that he was in pain from injuries sustained during his basketball career. He said that cannabis oil is commonly used in the United States for medicinal purposes and that it has fewer negative effects than other pain relievers.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week that the legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes in parts of the United States is invalid in Russia.
The slow trial and Griner’s five months in jail have drawn sharp criticism from her teammates. The United States has formally declared that she has been “wrongly detained”, something that the Russian authorities strongly deny.
At the time of Griner’s arrest, tensions were high between Washington and Moscow, with an anticipated invasion of Ukraine. Some maintain that she is being held in Russia as a pawn, possibly for a prisoner exchange. Soccer player Megan Rapinoe said last week that she “obviously is being held from her as a political prisoner.”
The Russian press has speculated that she could be traded for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, jailed in the United States, and that Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia for espionage, would also figure in the swap.
There have been no statements from US officials about the possibility of such an exchange. Russian officials have said there can be no talk of a trade before the legal process against Griner is complete.
