A week after Britney Griner was arrested, Russia invaded Ukraine.
The WNBA all-star playing for the Phoenix Mercury has now pleaded guilty to illegally bringing cannabis-vape cartridges into the country. Russia's authorities found the cartridges in her luggage at an airport outside Moscow.
Griner has been detained since she was arrested on Feb. 17 and reportedly faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison.
During her guilty plea, Griner said that she "had no intention of breaking any Russian law." She said she accidently packed the vape cartridges in her bag while in a rush.
"I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said in court, according to Reuters.
The timing of her arrest is unfortunate because relations between the U.S. and Russia are about as low as they've been since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago.
U.S. officials have said that they "are going to use every tool we possibly can" to free Griner.
Cherelle Griner, Brittney's wife, last week said that "I still have not heard from" President Joe Biden. "Honestly, it's very disheartening." The day after Cherelle spoke with CBS News on the mattere, Biden and Vice President Harris called Cherelle to assure her that they were working to bring her wife home.
The U.S. and Russia have a complicated relationship when it comes to prisoner swaps, and that relationship has only been strained since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
NBC News recently reported that Griner's freedom could be swapped for that of a Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. He is serving a 25-year jail sentence in the U.S. Bout has served 11 years of his 25-year sentence, The Week reported.
Griner Is a High-Profile Prisoner
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Brittney Griner is a high-profile person just because of her physical stature: She stands 6'9" and 205 pounds (2.06m, 93 kg). The fact that she is a world-class athlete makes her a valuable asset for Russia to have at this moment.
"Law enforcement officers in Russia often use unreasonable causes as justification for the search and arrest of people who use drugs," UN Human Rights Council said in a recent report.
The WNBA players union has stood behind Griner, who plays in Russia during the league's offseason. The union also has noted that the country's courts have a 99% conviction rate.
"Russia’s process is its own. You can’t navigate it or even understand it like our own legal system,” WNBA Executive Director Terri Jackson said in a statement.
"What we do know is that the U.S. State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and we’ll leave it at that.”
After two scheduled witnesses did not appear, Griner's trial was adjourned until July 14 following her guilty plea. Those type of delays are routine in Russian court, according to the Associated Press. Griner's detention has been authorized through Dec. 20.
Her representatives said that they expected the trial to conclude around the beginning of August.
Griner is "eating well, she's able to read books and under the circumstance she's doing well," Elizabeth Rood, the U.S. embassy's deputy chief of mission, said after speaking to her in the courtroom.
Russia Denies Any Wrongdoing
Between its war in Ukraine and a potential revolt by European countries against Russian energy, Russia has a lot on its plate right now.
But that hasn't stopped the Kremlin from taking the U.S. to task over Griner's detention and its longtime rival's own restrictive marijuana laws.
In May, the U.S. officially classified Griner as a wrongfully detained person, a characterization that Russia denies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disagreed with the notion that Griner was a “hostage,” saying that the American player violated Russian law and now must face the consequences, Sports Illustrated reported, quoting NBC News.
“She violated Russian law, and now she’s being prosecuted,” Peskov told NBC’s Keir Simmons. “It’s not about being a hostage. There are lots of American citizens here. They’re enjoying their freedoms … but you have to obey the laws.”
Russia adheres to the drug policy outlined by the United Nations Drug Conventions, but the State Anti-Drug Strategy does not mention human rights, according to the UN Human Rights Council.
