By pleading guilty to drug charges in a Russian courtroom this week, American basketball star Brittney Griner may have expedited her case and paved the way for a deal with the United States or, perhaps, a petition for leniency.
With a guilty verdict all but a foregone conclusion in a Russian justice system that heavily favors prosecution, her best hope, experts say, is that the Biden administration secures her freedom by releasing a Russian held in the United States. The name of one prisoner in particular has come up: Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence.
But such negotiations cannot take place until the formalities of the Griner trial are over, Russian officials say.
“Clearly we have not completed the necessary legal proceedings,” a deputy foreign minister, Sergei A. Ryabkov, told Russian news agencies on Thursday when asked about a possible exchange. “Until this happens, there are no nominal, formal or procedural grounds for further action.”
Ms. Griner is still facing the sentencing and sentencing stages of her trial, and her next court date is set for Thursday, July 14.
Ms. Griner is charged with illegal drug possession and smuggling a “significant amount of money.” When she appeared before a judge outside the Russian capital on the second day of her trial, Ms Griner said she inadvertently brought a banned substance into the country because she packed in a hurry. Russian authorities say they found vape cartridges containing 0.7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage when Ms Griner arrived to play basketball in February, and she has been jailed ever since, with 10 years in prison in a penal colony.
Hours after she pleaded guilty Thursday, it looked like her advisers could lay the groundwork for diplomatic efforts between US and Russian officials to take the lead.
“Given the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of content, and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sports, the defense hopes the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating circumstance and that no serious punishment is imposed.” her legal team said in a statement.
U.S. officials are insisting that they do everything they can to secure the release of Ms. Griner, 31, a seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the first openly gay athlete to sign an endorsement contract by Nike. During Thursday’s hearing, the chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Moscow, Elizabeth Rood, handed Ms. Griner a letter from President Biden.
But with tensions between the United States and Russia at the highest level in decades following President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden has few options for securing her freedom.
What you need to know about Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia
Mr Ryabkov has hinted that Moscow was interested in negotiating Ms Griner’s fate, saying that she would be helped by “a serious reading by the American side of the signals they have received from Russia, from Moscow, through specialized channels.” receive.”
Russian news agency Interfax reported that Mr Ryabkov stressed on Friday that such negotiations should be conducted privately. “As for all exchange formulas, our attitude is unwavering: this must be done privately, using the available channels,” he told reporters. “I’m not sure that any additional activity, especially any activity in public, can help achieve a proper, balanced compromise.”
Without a deal, Mrs. Griner could face years in prison.
