Brittney Griner

The WNBA star appeared in a Moscow court for the first time since news broke of a proposed prisoner exchange that would free her and former Marine Paul ...

Griner testified that she had packed in a hurry and did not know how the vape cartridges ended up in her baggage. The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia appears set to resume ground offensives, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu telling troops on Saturday to intensify attacks “in all operational sectors” of Ukraine. Her lawyers made their case for leniency last week, arguing that she did not intend to break Russian law. Like Griner, he pleaded guilty, hoping for leniency. In 2019, Israeli American Naama Issachar was sentenced to seven years in prison after nearly 10 grams of cannabis was found in her backpack during a layover in Moscow as she flew from India to Israel. She was freed when she was Putin pardoned her, after he met her mother, Yaffa Issachar, during a January 2020 trip to Israel marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Russian officials have said that no deal had been reached. Russian officials have hinted there may be willingness to negotiate a prisoner exchange, but only after her trial is complete. The basketball star said she used cannabis to relieve chronic pain from injuries. Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Moscow, present at the hearing, said embassy staff would continue to support Griner until she arrived safely back in the United State, as well as other Americans jailed in Russia. One of the experts, Dmitry Gladyshev, testified that checks for cannabis by a state expert on vape cartridges in Griner’s luggage did not meet legal requirements. Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to Moscow for a prisoner exchange involving Griner and Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted on spy charges.

The examination of the substance contained in vape cartridges that WNBA star Brittney Griner's carried at a Moscow airport in February did not comply with ...

Those rights would include access to an attorney once she was detained and the right to know what she was suspected of. , "Dear BG ... It's early in Moscow. Our day is ending and yours is just beginning. She admitted that she did bring something, but we need to know what did she bring. that she did not fully understand, she testified. Supporters of Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays in Russia during the WNBA offseason, have called for her release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid Russia's war on Ukraine The 31-year-old sat Tuesday inside the defendant's cage in the courtroom.

Griner made her first appearance before the court since Washington's decision to publicly acknowledge its prisoner swap offer to Russia to help secure her ...

The 55-year-old Bout gained notoriety in the 1990s and early 2000s for supplying millions of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition to militias and terror groups across the world, earning the moniker “The Merchant of Death.” In a press briefing on Thursday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed surprise that backchannel prisoner swap talks between Washington and Moscow had been made public. The basketball player said she was not read her rights after being detained at the airport in February. She also said she was not offered an attorney and was forced to sign papers without being told what they said.

The Russian drugs trial of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner should be over "very soon", her lawyer said on Tuesday, as the Kremlin warned the United ...

"Megaphone diplomacy and the public exchange of opinions will not lead to results." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The defence and prosecution are expected to deliver their closing arguments on Thursday. She faces up to 10 years in prison. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner returned to stand trial at a Russian court on Tuesday as the United States sought to secure her release with a prisoner ...

Wearing a plain khaki T-shirt and round-rimmed glasses, Griner was ushered in courtroom by police at Khimki District Court outside Moscow. Griner held up personal photographs before taking a seat in the defendant’s cage. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the United States has made a “substantial offer” to Russia for the release of American citizens held in Russia, including basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan. A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death”

WNBA star Brittney Griner was back in a Russian court on Tuesday as U.S. officials work to win her release following more than five months of detention on ...

Griner pleaded guilty to the charges last month in a bid for leniency. In Russia, defendants go through criminal trials even if they plead guilty to the charges. He said he's also pressed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been in a Russian prison since late 2018 after he was convicted of espionage charges.

American basketball star Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her ...

He told The Associated Press that Russia "may want to let this play out a little bit longer and try to extract more concessions." Griner played for a Russian women's basketball team in the WNBA off-season. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through "quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information." "Public exchange of positions will not yield any result." If convicted, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medallist could face 10 years in prison. She declined to elaborate.

The Russian drugs trial of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner should be over "very soon", her lawyer said on Tuesday, as the Kremlin warned the United ...

Griner had been her way to join her Russian team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, for the playoffs after spending time at home in the United States. Griner, who appeared in Khimki District Court outside Moscow in a plain khaki T-shirt and round-rimmed glasses, was both focused and nervous as her trial approaches its end, her lawyer said. Lawyer Maria Blagovolina, partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm, said a verdict in the case was expected "very soon."

American basketball star Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her ...

Griner played for a Russian women’s basketball team in the WNBA off-season. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.” “Public exchange of positions will not yield any result.” If convicted, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. Medical marijuana treatment is not legal in Russia. She declined to elaborate.

If convicted, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison.

Griner played for a Russian women’s basketball team in the WNBA off-season. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.” “Public exchange of positions will not yield any result.” If convicted, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. Medical marijuana treatment is not legal in Russia. She declined to elaborate.

KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Griner played for a Russian women’s basketball team in the WNBA off-season. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without releases of speculative information.” “Public exchange of positions will not yield any result." Medical marijuana treatment is not legal in Russia. If convicted, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. She declined to elaborate.

Her criminal trial began on July 1, and since then, Griner has pleaded guilty but has emphasized multiple times that she had no criminal intent. The news comes ...

CBS News reported that they called another forensic expert, Dmitry Gladyshev, to testify on the stand. "We still believe that any exchanges of information on this topic should be discrete," Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday during a press briefing. The lawyers argued that the state-appointed forensic expert who examined them made some technical and procedural errors.

Brittney Griner's lawyer said that the WNBA star will likely be sentenced "very soon" on charges of smuggling drugs into Russia. On Tuesday, Griner, 31, ...

Last Wednesday, Griner testified that Russian officials did not explain to her what was happening when she was arrested for drug possession. "It's a bad faith attempt to avoid a very serious offer and proposal that the United States has put forward and we urge Russia to take that offer seriously," Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby told CNN. On Tuesday, Griner, 31, appeared in Khimki District Court near Moscow for her ongoing trial over possession of cannabis oil. Blinken's statement, during a press conference, was the first time a White House official has confirmed negotiations to bring Griner home from Russia. The U.S. reportedly offered to swap the two for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, and Russian officials have also asked the U.S. to include a convicted murder and former Russian spy named Vadim Krasikov, according to CNN. The same day, Blinken announced the "substantial" deal to Russia to secure the release of Griner and Whelan. "The examination does not comply with the law in terms of the completeness of the study and does not comply with the norms of the Code of Criminal Procedure," forensic chemist Dmitry Gladyshev testified, according to CNN.

No need to imagine. Since February, WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, a concentrated ...

Griner is a queer, Black woman, and she is also one of the best basketball players there is. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. It’s a statement about the value of a Black person. Let’s pretend it’s Tom Brady. Would we have to sign a petition then?” said Chicago Sky coach James Wade, as reported by the Chicago Sun Times. It’s time for the NBA to stop hiding behind their excuse that action could make things worse. The 6-foot-9 center for the Phoenix Mercury is one of the few – if not the only – household WNBA names thanks to Griner’s accolades.

One America News (OAN), the controversial cable channel, just had just had its last day, but still produced one final eye-catching headline as presenter ...

"That the Biden administration leapt into action for a woman who would spit on our flag and anthem but dragged its feet for a Marine who would die for that same flag and anthem, and they see nothing wrong with this? "Oh, and as a bonus, throw in that Marine, too. "Break out the hashtags, free Brittney, make a deal!"