American WNBA star Brittney Griner was set to appear in a Moscow court Thursday in the third hearing of her trial on drug charges that could result in a 10-year prison sentence, unless U.S. and Russian officials can agree on a prisoner swap.
RIGA, Latvia — Griner pleaded guilty last week to carrying cannabis oil in vape cartridges after a senior Russian diplomat hinted that there were channels for negotiation on the matter, but only after her trial is complete.
It is unclear when Griner will be sentenced. Her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina said last week the legal team would ask the judge for a lenient sentence based on Griner’s guilty plea.According to the prosecutors’ case, Russian customs officials found two vape cartridges containing .702 grams of cannabis oil in her baggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in February, a week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Griner recently wrote to Biden begging him not to forget her and other detainees, saying, “I’m terrified I might be here forever.”State Department efforts to free her have been complicated by the tense relations between Washington and Moscow, which have worsened since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials accuse the United States of using Ukraine as an “anti-Russia” project.
Rood said that Griner was able to read the letter and told her that she was eating well and was able to read books.
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