Two members of Brittney Griner’s Russian club team appeared as character witnesses at her trial on Thursday, telling the judge she has been an exemplary player and citizen during her six seasons in Russia.
Evgeniya Belyakova, a teammate from UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Maxim Ryabkov, the team’s general manager, spoke during the brief afternoon court session as Griner sat in the defendants’ cage not far away. Her appearance is believed to be the first in-person contact Griner has had with someone she knows, aside from the Russian lawyers hired for her case, since she was arrested on February 17 and charged with trying to smuggle drugs into the country. .
“Our task today was to tell the court about her characteristics as an athlete, as a person, to tell how she played an important role in the success of the Yekaterinburg club and Russian women’s basketball in general,” Ryabkov said. reporters outside the courthouse. “Today is the first day we’ve seen our basketball player since February. Thank God, he feels good, he looks good.”
Belyakova said: “I can say that Brittney has always been a very good teammate, so my role here is just to be with her, to support her. We miss her very much. We miss her energy. I was very happy to see her, and I hope that this trial finish soon and with a positive result”.
Griner has already pleaded guilty, telling the judge last week that he inadvertently brought hash oil vape cartridges into the country and had no intention of breaking the law. However, in Russian criminal trials, proceedings continue even after a guilty plea, as the judge reads the prosecutors’ case from the file.
She is expected to return to court on Friday, when the process could be less rewarding for her. The judge is expected to question Griner directly, a common practice in Russian trials.
Tom Firestone, a former resident legal adviser at the US Embassy in Moscow, said he hopes Griner will repeat what he said when he pleaded guilty last week. Firestone said prosecutors and defense attorneys can ask “clarifying questions” during cross-examination.
His lawyers have said they expect the case to last until at least early August, and defense attorney Maria Blagovolina told Reuters she was satisfied with the way Thursday’s session went.
“It was an extremely emotional day for Brittney, who was moved by the appearance of the club manager, the head doctor and her teammate, who all gave an extremely positive description of our client both personally and professionally,” Blagovolina said. p>
US officials and experts have said they view the trial as “theater” that could only have ended in a guilty verdict, as Russia seeks to trade it in a prisoner swap or some other US concession. Sources close to Griner have described her guilty plea as a ploy, knowing that Russia would require a guilty plea before agreeing to a negotiated release.
Russian officials bristled at US calls for Griner’s release, saying his legal case must be completed before any discussion.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being exchanged for a Rus imprisoned in the US, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s highest-ranking diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there is no formal or procedural reasons to talk about more steps.
Ryabkov warned that criticism from the US, including the depiction of Griner as wrongfully detained and disparaging comments about the Russian judicial system, “make it difficult to engage in a detailed discussion of any potential exchange.”
Sources have said that former US Ambassador to the United Nations and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has been conducting negotiations for his release, in parallel with the Department’s Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. of US State
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
