Basketballer Brittney Griner looks shaken in court as she faces 10 years in Russian jail for having ‘cannabis vape’
BRITTNEY Griner looked shaken as she appeared in court on Monday to set a date for her trial in a case that could see her jailed for up to 10 years.
US WNBA basketball superstar, Griner, will start her criminal trial on July, 1 according to the .
Brittney Griner was seen walking into the court in Moscow with handcuffs, wearing glasses and a gray t-shirt.
She was bracketed by four security officers and a dog as she was led down a stairwell to a courtroom for her hearing.
The athlete was ordered to remain in custody for the duration of her trial, extending her detention for another six months.
Griner had previously been ordered to remain in pretrial detention until July 2.
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The Phoenix Mercury may face 10 years in prison if she is convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs.
The chances of acquittal look slim. Fewer than 1 percent of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned, according to AP.
The two-time gold medalist was arrested in February at Sheremetyevo Airport, a week before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Griner was accused of bringing in vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through security.
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The news of her detention didn't come out until March.
U.S. officials and the WNBA kept quiet until the State Department reclassified Griner as being "wrongfully detained" and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
Supporters of Griner encouraged a prison swap, like the one in April that brought home Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Tass, Russia’s state-owned news agency, has raised speculation that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout.
Bout who is nicknamed 'The Merchant of Death,' was convicted for conspiring to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
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“Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass reported.
Any swap would apparently require Griner to first be convicted and sentenced, then apply for a presidential pardon, Maria Yarmush, a lawyer specializing in international civil affairs, told Kremlin-funded TV channel RT.
