American basketball star Brittney Griner’s trial to face drug charges has been ongoing in a Moscow court since the beginning of July.

The 31-year-old has spent the last four and a half months behind bars after she was detained at a Moscow airport in February for having hashish oil in her luggage. She faces a 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

Her arrest and detention came amid American sanctions on Russia for their invasion of Ukraine, though the Kremlin has insisted her case is not politically motivated.

Griner's supporters back home have voiced concern over her situation and called for her release. The US government has "put a substantial offer on the table" to Moscow ahead of talks with Russia's foreign minister in early August. Reports suggest a prisoner swap could be negotiated.

 

Who is Brittney Griner?

Brittney Griner, 31, is a star center with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Griner is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and has averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in her nine-year career since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2013 draft.

She is also a member of the US national team and led the Americans to Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio and the Tokyo Games in 2021. 

What was she doing in Russia?

Attracted by relatively high salaries, Griner, like many other WNBA players, has played overseas during the WNBA offseason. She has spent most of her time abroad with her most recent team, Russian Premier League outfit UMMC Ekaterinburg. Griner is reported to have earned up to a million dollars during her season at the club.

Why was she detained?

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport as she attempted to board a flight back to Phoenix for the start of her WNBA club's training camp. She stands accused of possessing multiple cannabis oil cartridges.

More than four months after her arrest, on Monday, June 27, a Moscow court ordered that she stand trial on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs. Her detention was also extended for another six months to December 20.

What is being done to try to gain her release?

Amid the tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Griner's supporters had long maintained a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution.

This changed in May, when the US State Department reclassified her as having been wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

Also in May, Griner's wife, Cherelle, urged President Joe Biden in May to secure her release, calling her "a political pawn". In an open letter, she called on US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to use their power to get Griner released. The women’s basketball union WNBPA, and more than 40 other US organizations, signed the letter.

What are her chances of acquittal? 

Not good. Court cases in Russia are unlike those in most Western nations for several reasons. The chances of the prosecution getting a conviction at any given trial are said to be higher than 95 percent, and fewer than 1% of defendants in criminal cases are acquitted.

Even if she is acquitted, the government has the authority to overturn the ruling and send Griner to prison — despite the court failing to convict her. 

How might she be released?

Grounds for hope in Griner's case are the possibility that she could be released in a prisoner swap like the one in April, which saw Marine veteran Trevor Reed returned to the US in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.

Reports suggest that Griner could be exchanged for Viktour Bout. The Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the United States in 2012 for conspiring to murder US citizens and supporting a terrorist organisation.

On Wednesday, July 27, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US government had “put a substantial proposal on the table” to Moscow, but did not provide further details. Blinken said he would call Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in the first week of August to discuss the potential release of Griner, as well as imprisoned compatriot Paul Whelan.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp