The Russian court, in a preliminary hearing today, set the trial start date as July 1, nearly four months after US basketball star Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow airport for possession of marijuana.
The Phoenix Mercury team star was ordered to remain in custody pending the criminal trial. Griner could face 10 years in prison if found guilty of large-scale drug possession. Fewer than 1 percent of defendants are acquitted in Russian criminal cases, and acquittals can be reversed, unlike in the United States.
Griner’s detention was extended for another six months after he appeared behind closed doors at the court in the Moscow suburb of Himki. In photos obtained by AP, Griner appears handcuffed. It was previously decided that Griner would remain in detention until July 2.
Griner’s arrest and trial comes at a time of exceptionally low Moscow-Washington relations. Griner was arrested at Moscow airport less than a week before Russia sent troops to Ukraine. This development exacerbated already high tensions with extensive US sanctions and Russia’s condemnation of US arms supplies to Ukraine.
Amid the tension, Griner’s supporters remained silent, hoping for a quiet solution. In May, however, the State Department reclassified Griner’s case as wrongfully detained and transferred control of his case to the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who was de facto the US government’s chief negotiator.
This situation further increased the interest in the Griner case. Supporters of Griner have begun to promote the possibility of an exchange similar to the prisoner exchange in April between ex-US Marine Trevor Reed and a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.
Russian news media have repeatedly raised speculation that he could be traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organization, is nicknamed the “Merchant of Death”.
Russia has sought public support for Bout’s release for years. But the inconsistency between Griner’s claims of possession of e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil and Bout’s global smuggling of deadly weapons could make such a trade-off difficult for the United States.
Others suggested he could be traded for Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security chief who was sentenced to 16 years in an espionage case that the US has repeatedly described as a trap.
When asked on CNN whether a joint swap of Griner and Whelan for Bout was being considered, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken glossed over the question.
Blinken said: “I have no higher priority in the world in general than to ensure the return of Americans who have been detained in one way or another illegally. I cannot comment in detail on what we have done, other than to say that this is an absolute priority.”
Speaking to the Kremlin-funded RT channel, Maria Yarmush, a lawyer specializing in international civil affairs, said Griner would have to apply to the presidency for a pardon after he has been convicted and convicted, before any exchange appears to take place.