Brittney Griner

Griner was detained in February after vape canisters with cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage.

The foreign ministry spokesperson Alexei Zaitsev said on Wednesday: “This is a serious offence, confirmed by indisputable evidence … Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and Griner’s detention has been authorised until 20 December, suggesting the proceedings could last months. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.” They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she would never return home. The athlete was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage. Russia has shown no signs of backing off.

A Russian diplomat warned the Biden administration to not build “hype” around the WNBA star, who is facing up to a decade in a Russian penal colony.

On the call, the president read Cherelle Griner a draft of a letter he intended to send the basketball player. On Monday, Griner wrote a handwritten letter to Biden from prison, saying she was “terrified I might be here forever” and asking him not to forget about her. The State Department reclassification “cued our shift to the more public activist elements of our strategy,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent, told the Times. The coordinated campaign has involved displaying Griner’s initials on WNBA courts and Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, making a public plea to President Joe Biden on Good Morning America. “She’s a political pawn. American basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia on drug charges for more than four months, pleaded guilty Thursday, news that comes as she and her family escalate their pleas to the Biden administration to negotiate her release. The Biden administration’s approach to securing Griner’s release shifted on May 3, when the State Department said Griner had been “wrongfully detained” by the Russian Federation, an official classification that moved her case from the consular office to the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, per ESPN. As the State Department changed tune, so, too, did Griner’s supporters and family members, who initially kept a low profile in an effort to avoid politicizing her case. The customs service said they had found a vape cartridge with hashish oil, a marijuana concentrate that is illegal in the country.

Brittney Griner was arrested during severe tension between Washington and Moscow, which has worsened with Russia's war on Ukraine.

Russian media has speculated that Washington could exchange Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles to a foreign terrorist group and kill U.S. citizens. In recent years, there has been a worrying rise in “hostage diplomacy,” in which governments seize rival nations’ citizens on flimsy charges to gain leverage. Asked about the possibility of a prisoner swap, Griner’s attorney was circumspect. Reed had received a nine-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of assault that endangered the lives of police officers. I believe that they will give her a maximum term so that the other side will react,” Pavlov predicted. “The WNBPA stands with Brittney Griner,” the statement read. I didn’t want to break the law.” She then asked to give her testimony at a later date, saying she needed time to prepare, and the court adjourned. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the push in the United States for a prisoner exchange was not helping Griner’s chances of release. “I think that they will be trying to raise the price as much as possible. “Because if they give her a short or mild term, then it will be hard to make the other side interested in negotiations.” Airport employees who witnessed the search of her bags testified for the prosecution, Griner’s lawyers said. RIGA, Latvia — American WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to carrying cannabis oil on the second day of her closely watched trial in Russia, where she faces up to 10 years in prison.

Meeker Guerrier, animateur et chroniqueur à RDS et à NOOVO Info, parle de l'affaire Brittney Griner, qui a plaidé coupable de contrebande de drogue.

Brittney Griner, the jailed American WNBA star, pleaded guilty in Russian court on Thursday to drug charges that could see her face 10 years in prison, ...

Griner's agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas tweeted, "Brittney Griner was a model of courage today" who "deserves our compassion, understanding, love, and support." Her plea probably means that Washington and Moscow "will be able to seek a resolution faster than they could have before. But the wide discrepancy between Griner's alleged offense and Bout's global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. "This is a serious offence, confirmed by indisputable evidence. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly." They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she'd never return home. "We of course hope for the leniency of the court," she said. She also held a photo of her wife, Cherelle. "I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia," Rood said. The trial was then adjourned until July 14. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the U.S. description of Griner as "wrongfully detained" and warned that "attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don't help the practical settlement of issues." Elizabeth Rood, the embassy's deputy chief of mission, said after the hearing that she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared with her a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.

MOSCOU | La basketteuse américaine Brittney Griner, jugée et détenue en Russie, a plaidé coupable jeudi de contrebande de drogue dans une affaire suivie de ...

« Il est clair que toutes les procédures judiciaires ne sont pas terminées chez nous. Détenue dans une prison russe, la basketteuse avait elle-même écrit une lettre à Joe Biden déposée symboliquement à la Maison-Blanche lundi, le jour de la fête de l’indépendance des États-Unis, implorant le président de ne pas l’« oublier ». Il a aussi indiqué que des responsables de l’ambassade américaine à Moscou avaient remis à la joueuse une lettre de M. Biden, sans en révéler le contenu. Le chef de la diplomatie américaine Antony Blinken a déclaré sur Twitter que les États-Unis n’auraient « pas de répit » tant que Griner et « tous les autres Américains injustement détenus » n’auront pas été libérés. La joueuse des Phœnix Mercury a été arrêtée en février à son arrivée à l’aéroport moscovite de Cheremetievo en possession, selon l’accusation, de vapoteuses et d’un liquide à base de cannabis. La basketteuse américaine Brittney Griner, jugée et détenue en Russie, a plaidé coupable jeudi de contrebande de drogue dans une affaire suivie de près par Washington dans un contexte de vives tensions avec Moscou.

La joueuse de basketball américaine Brittney Griner a plaidé coupable aux accusations de possession de drogue et de trafic de stupéfiants lors de sa ...

Ils ont discuté peu de temps après que Biden eut reçu une lettre manuscrite de Griner dans laquelle elle disait craindre de «croupir en prison en Russie pour l’éternité». L’athlète américaine a été interceptée en février à l’aéroport Sheremetyevo de Moscou après que des cartouches d’huile de cannabis eurent été retrouvées dans ses bagages. n’aidera en rien le règlement de cet enjeu».

La joueuse des Phoenix Mercury a été arrêtée, le 17 février, à son arrivée à l'aéroport moscovite de Cheremetievo en possession, selon l'accusation, ...

Détenue dans une prison russe, la basketteuse a écrit une lettre à Joe Biden déposée symboliquement à la Maison Blanche, lundi, le jour de la Fête de l’indépendance des Etats-Unis, implorant le président de ne pas l’« oublier ». Alors que des observateurs anticipent déjà un échange de prisonniers à venir entre Griner et un Russe détenu aux Etats-Unis, M. Riabkov a demandé d’attendre la fin du procès. « Il est clair que toutes les procédures judiciaires ne sont pas terminées chez nous. « J’étais pressée en faisant mes bagages et les cartouches se sont retrouvées accidentellement dans mon sac », a déclaré la joueuse, jeudi.

Two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN ...

"In her letter (to Biden), she said that she was scared," the coach said. "But Tom Brady wouldn't be there, right, because he doesn't have to go to a foreign country to supplement his income from the WNBA." "I know BG will be able to find comfort in knowing she has not been forgotten." Given the 99% reported conviction rate in Russian criminal cases, Griner was urged to weigh all the factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence. of smuggling less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner told the court Thursday she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The WNBA star admitted to bringing cannabis into Russia but said she had packed in a hurry and did not intend to break the law. If convicted, she could face ...

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Griner, the W.N.B.A. star, pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia on Thursday. But her supporters are still determined to fight to bring her home.

She added: “The symbolism of that is not lost on any one of us.” “She is in the fight of her life right now, which is why we’ll be in Chicago to show our support for Brittney and for the administration and their efforts to bring her home as soon as possible. Jackson noted that the All-Star Game would take place on the 143rd day of Griner’s detention. “Brittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion,” Sharpton said in a statement. “And yet, we are very mindful that we are not near the end.” “Brittney Griner remains wrongfully detained in Russia, and nothing that happened today changes that 140 days later,” Engelbert said. That evening, Jackson attended a rally to support Brittney Griner at the Footprint Center arena in Phoenix. It had been hosted by the Phoenix Mercury and Representative Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, with hundreds of Griner’s supporters on hand. The league named her as an honorary starter for the All-Star Game on Sunday. After the State Department classified Griner as wrongfully detained, her closest supporters began to feel comfortable drawing attention to her detention. But despite her guilty plea on Thursday, the support she has received from her representatives, friends, family, teammates and others has not waned. And yet try to stay hopeful that there’s some forward progress to getting her home.” Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

The outpouring of support isn't surprising. A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and clearing past cannabis convictions.

A forthcoming bill from Senate Democrats is also expected to automatically expunge nonviolent federal marijuana crimes and provide for resentencing. The long-anticipated Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is said to be nearing introduction. The project began in 2021 by examining qualified immunity and continues in 2022 by examining various ways to improve law enforcement. (In a call Wednesday, Biden told Griner's wife that he is working to get Griner released " as soon as possible." This column is part of a series by USA TODAY Opinion about police accountability and building safer communities. But excepting her status as a pro athlete, Griner – a Black gay woman – would be subject to the disproportionately higher rates of enforcement for cannabis possession that affect marginalized communities, particularly people of color, in the United States. Given the fact Biden has failed to help release tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully detained on nonviolent cannabis charges here in America, it feels naive to expect him to secure Griner's freedom. Even so, Congress needs to act, and fast. Russian authorities need to stop using Griner as a political pawn and release her from detention. After all, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug in the United States. This means that under federal drug trafficking guidelines, any U.S. citizen could face a jail sentence for flying with hash oil. The near universal support for Griner is by no means surprising. And, like Griner in Russia, non-U.S. citizens are regularly prosecuted under our harsh drug laws for crossing our border with cannabis.

In February 2022, Brittney Griner, the legendary WNBA basketball player, was arrested in Moscow for allegedly having illegal vape cartridges. Now Russia is ...

His freedom could not restore that, and he will be forever known as the Merchant of Death, a stain he will never be able to remove. Bout has already lost what he most valued — his ability to move freely across the globe and act with impunity as an agent of chaos in the service of his Russian handlers and his own interests. The diplomatic and Department of Justice efforts to get Bout to the U.S. to stand trial were a testament to how a whole of government approach can work when done well. In his later years, he was reined in by the Russian state under Putin, no longer able to freelance at will and without unfettered access to massive caches of weapons. Bout ran an aviation and weapons empire from the fall of the Soviet Union until his arrest in Thailand in 2008. In November 2011, the notorious Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout was sentenced by a New York court to 25 years in prison for his crimes.