Brittney Griner

2022 - 6 - 30

Post cover — Image courtesy of "CBS News"

Wife says WNBA star Brittney Griner vowed to her in letters from ... (CBS News)

Cherelle Griner says her wife promised to "hold on" until she can get home, but a Russia expert says the athlete has become a "hostage."

Distraught, handcuffed and heading for the fight of her life, WNBA star Brittney Griner was last seen Monday as she went to stand trial in a Russian courtroom. As she walked past news cameras, a reporter asked her how she was doing. Russian media outlets have speculated that Griner could be used as a bargaining chip in a possible prisoner swap for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The so-called "Merchant of Death" is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. for conspiracy to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organization.

Brittney Griner Trial Likely to End in Conviction, Experts Say (The New York Times)

Courts in Russia heavily favor the prosecution, experts said, pointing to a prisoner swap as perhaps the W.N.B.A. star's best chance to come home.

So the ask is going to be much bigger, and I think the ask that they’ve been telegraphing in the Russian news is for Viktor Bout,” said St. Julian-Varnon, who has consulted with the W.N.B.A. players’ union about Griner’s detainment. “Free Brittney Griner,” Sasse said in a statement. “You do not have a right for your lawyer to call whatever witnesses they want. On Tuesday, Russia announced it had barred Biden, the first lady, Jill Biden, and others from entering the country in response to far-ranging sanctions. And we are actively working to find a resolution to this case and will continue to do so without rest until we get Brittney safely home.” A Russian court said Griner’s trial will begin on July 1. In February, Russian authorities detained Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, on drug charges, after she was stopped at an airport near Moscow. Since then, her detention has been repeatedly extended. Bout, an international arms dealer, was convicted by an American court and sentenced to 25 years in prison. From the start of Griner’s detainment, her supporters feared that she could be used by Russia during the global conflict. Russian customs officials said they found vape cartridges containing traces of hashish oil in Griner’s luggage when she passed through a security checkpoint in an airport near Moscow on Feb. 17. “We do not know at this point what evidence they have,” Pomeranz said. “There’s a bias mainly because the Russian judicial system says they really should not go to trial unless the defendant is going to be convicted,” said William Pomeranz, the acting director of the Kennan Institute and an expert on Russian law.

Everything you need to know about Brittney Griner in Russia (The Washington Post)

U.S. pro basketball Brittney Griner goes on trial in Russia starting Friday. Here's everything you need to know about the WNBA star.

Brittney Griner Is 'Struggling' and 'Terrified' in Russia, Says Wife ... (PEOPLE.com)

WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared in court Monday after more than four months in a Russian detention center, and will go to trial beginning July 1.

Following her arrest, the U.S. State Department officially classified Brittney as wrongfully detained by the Russian Federation. "Our position for some time on this has been very clear. "We need that public pressure to let them know that Brittney matters," she said. "We're never going to shut up about this until she's back; we're never going to allow them to take their precious time." "But I'm holding on and I won't break until I come home," Brittney wrote in a letter to Cherelle, their only form of communication. "That's leading me to believe that this matter is sitting right in front of [President Joe] Biden." Cherelle, who calls her wife "BG," said that she's very concerned over her wife's wellbeing.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is "struggling" in Russia, wife says (Axios)

"She's there, alone," Cherelle Griner told Al Sharpton on his radio show today.

"Let me be perfectly clear: there will be no bipartisan USICA as long as Democrats are pursuing a partisan reconciliation bill,” he said, referring to the bill's Senate acronym. Her detention in Russia was on Monday extended for another six months, per AP. ... Nothing about this is justice," she added. - The basketballer told her in letters that she is "OK" and "holding on." She's there, alone." She's there, terrified.

Brittney Griner's trial in Russia is about to begin. Here's what we ... (ABC News)

After months in jail, US basketball star Brittney Griner's Russian trial begins today, but it's a prisoner swap that could be needed to win her freedom.

However, Dr Partlett says the situation in Russia's legal system has "degraded" even further since then, and the whole system has changed since the invasion in general. The former marine was in jail after Russian authorities said he assaulted a police officer and, after that, he was sentenced to nine years. Despite the war in Ukraine and increasingly sour US-Russian relations, a prisoner swap for former US marine Trevor Reed did happen in April this year. And her trial — which starts today — is far from the end of the ordeal: A prisoner swap with the so-called "Merchant of Death" could be on the cards to secure her freedom. Convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout — nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" — has repeatedly been raised by Russian media as a contender. The maximum penalty for this in Russia is 10 years in jail.