Brittney Griner: US basketball star appears in Russian court on drug charges
US basketball star Brittney Griner has appeared in court near Moscow on suspicion of possessing cannabis.
Brittney Griner Sport News
US basketball star Griner goes on trial in Russia on drug charges
KHIMKI, Russia: US basketball star Brittney Griner went on trial in a court on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday to face drug charges that could see her face up to 10 years in prison. The case, which coincides with fraught relations between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine, was brought after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in Griner’s luggage at a Moscow airport in February. Griner, a star in the US-based Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), was arrested and charged with smuggling a large quantity of drugs. The 31-year-old athlete was seen arriving at Khimki City Court in handcuffs shortly after noon Moscow time (0900 GMT) on Friday, wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt and sneakers without laces, which are forbidden in Russian jails. The prosecutor told Griner that she was being charged with intentionally transporting narcotics. Griner spoke to say she understood the charges. Three employees of the US embassy, including deputy of chief of mission Elizabeth Rood, were present in the courtroom. Griner was seated in a cage with a zip-lock bag of cookies and a bottle of mineral water. Griner told a Reuters reporter she was finding detention hard because she was unable to speak Russian, and that she was unable to fully keep up with physical fitness, only general exercises such as stretching. Her lawyers told Reuters they would not say yet whether or not she would be pleading guilty.
Basketball star Griner says she is "keeping the faith" - US diplomat in Moscow
MOSCOW : U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner told U.S. Charge d'Affaires Elizabeth Rood at her trial in Moscow that she was "keeping the faith," Rood told reporters after attending the opening session of Griner's trial on narcotics charges.
WNBA star Brittney Griner appears in Moscow-area court for trial on cannabis possession charges
MOSCOW — American basketball star Brittney Griner appeared in a Moscow-area court for trial Friday, about 4½ months after she was arrested on cannabis possession charges at an airport while traveling to play for a Russian team.
Kremlin says arrest of US basketball star Griner "not politically motivated"
The Kremlin said on Friday that the detention of U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years in Russia if she is convicted on drug charges, was not politically motivated.
Brittney Griner detention: WNBA superstar heads to ‘sham trial,’ Russian court system under microscope
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Brittney Griner detention: Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr using Russia connections to help WNBA star return to US
Jones hopes the connections he made as a fighter in Russia can help him facilitate Griner’s safe return.