The trial in Russia against the American basketball player and Olympic and world champion Brittney Griner, accused of drug smuggling, began this Friday at the court in Khimki, a satellite city of Moscow.
Only two foreign journalists, both Anglo-Saxons, were allowed to enter the room, which led to protests from the media that came to cover the hearing, in which the Prosecutor’s Office is expected to present the charges and establish the order of the trial.
Griner, 31, a player for UGMK Yekaterinburg, was detained on February 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetvo airport when customs officials found cannabis oil in her luggage and proceeded to arrest her.
The American, who has played for the Russian team since 2017, can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for drug smuggling.
The basketball player’s family has turned to US President Joe Biden to secure Griner’s release, while both the WNBA and NBA have also turned to demanding his release.
Griner’s arrest occurred at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, which has raised suspicions about the possible political motivation of the case.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, denied today that the criminal proceedings against the basketball player have a political background.
“I cannot comment on the work of Justice. The facts show that the famous athlete was arrested with prohibited substances that contained narcotics,” Peskov said at his daily press conference, adding that it is a crime punishable by law.
Therefore, he said, the case “cannot be politically motivated.”
“I insist, this is just a verification of what she was arrested with and what our legislation contemplates. The verdicts are issued by the court,” Peskov clarified.
What WNBA teams has Brittney Griner played for?
From her professional debut until 2017, she was with the Phoenix Mercury, where she stood out as one of the best players in the league.
