W.N.B.A. Star Brittney Griner’s Trial Resumes in Russia
W.N.B.A. Star Brittney Griner’s Trial Resumes in Russia
Dan Bilefsky, Ivan Nechepurenko and Tania Ganguli -
The trial of Brittney Griner is scheduled to resume on Thursday in a courtroom outside of Moscow, where the American basketball star — now one of the world’s most famous prisoners — is facing a possible prison sentence on drug charges.
Ms. Griner pleaded guilty last week after the Russian authorities accused her of having a vape cartridge with hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow on Feb. 17. The guilty plea could potentially accelerate her case’s conclusion, clearing a path for either a deal with the United States to free her or, perhaps, a request for clemency.
But the harshest outcome — a possible 10-year sentence in a Russian penal colony — remains on the table despite the contention by Ms. Griner’s lawyers that she packed the smoking cartridges by mistake.
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With legal experts saying that a guilty verdict is all but a foregone conclusion in a justice system that heavily favors the prosecution, Ms. Griner’s chances at freedom could depend on whether the Washington, despite its acrimonious relations with Moscow, can make a deal for her release.
READ MORE: W.N.B.A. Star Brittney Griner’s Trial Resumes in Russia https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/w-n-b...
Dan Bilefsky, Ivan Nechepurenko and Tania Ganguli -
The trial of Brittney Griner is scheduled to resume on Thursday in a courtroom outside of Moscow, where the American basketball star — now one of the world’s most famous prisoners — is facing a possible prison sentence on drug charges.
Ms. Griner pleaded guilty last week after the Russian authorities accused her of having a vape cartridge with hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow on Feb. 17. The guilty plea could potentially accelerate her case’s conclusion, clearing a path for either a deal with the United States to free her or, perhaps, a request for clemency.
But the harshest outcome — a possible 10-year sentence in a Russian penal colony — remains on the table despite the contention by Ms. Griner’s lawyers that she packed the smoking cartridges by mistake.
Sign up for The Morning newsletter from The New York Times
With legal experts saying that a guilty verdict is all but a foregone conclusion in a justice system that heavily favors the prosecution, Ms. Griner’s chances at freedom could depend on whether the Washington, despite its acrimonious relations with Moscow, can make a deal for her release.
READ MORE: W.N.B.A. Star Brittney Griner’s Trial Resumes in Russia https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/w-n-b...
