Griner pleads guilty at her trial in Russia
State Department: Working to secure player’s release
MOSCOW — WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
The abrupt guilty plea by the Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist came amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest in February amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine.
A senior Russian diplomat said earlier that no action could be taken by Moscow on Griner’s case until the trial was over, and her guilty plea could be an effort by her and her advisers to expedite the court proceedings.
Griner, 31, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport while returning to play in Russia, and police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
Speaking through an interpreter, Griner told the court she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry. The trial was then adjourned until July 14.
Griner emphasized “that she had committed this act through negligence, unintentionally,” her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said outside the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki after the guilty plea.
“We of course hope for the leniency of the court,” she said. “Considering all the circumstances of the case, taking into account the personality of our client, we believe that the admission of guilt should certainly be taken into account.”
Blagovolina added that other defense witnesses would be questioned at a later session.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would continue to work for the release of Griner, as well as other Americans held by Moscow, including former Marine Paul Whelan.
“We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones,” he tweeted, noting that U.S. Embassy officials attended the trail again Thursday.
Elizabeth Rood, the embassy’s deputy chief of mission, said she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared with her a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.
“She’s eating well, she’s able to read books and under the circumstances she’s doing well,” Rood said.
“I would again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rood said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the U.S. description of Griner as “wrongfully detained” and warned that “attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”
The White House said Biden called Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, on Wednesday to assure her that he’s doing all he can to win her release as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home.
Washington hasn’t disclosed its strategy in the case and the U.S. may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity over its actions in Ukraine. The State Department’s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”
He warned that U.S. criticism, including a description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”
Although Griner’s supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for Washington to act spiked after the trial’s first day on July 1.
Russian media have speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who’s serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged offense and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington.
Others have suggested that she could be traded along with Whelan, the former Marine and security director serving 16 years in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has described as a setup.
The WNBA players’ union said in a statement that it stood by Griner.