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Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking charge Thursday after months of being detained in Russia, and now experts say getting her released on a possible prison exchange could turn out to be a complex process with serious implications. .
During his court appearance, Griner argued that his “intention” was not to violate Russian law. He could face up to 10 years in prison.
“I would like to plead guilty, honor. But there was no intention. I did not want to break the law,” he said, adding that he will give his testimony later.
No verdict has been handed down in his case, but talks over a prisoner exchange for Griner, which the State Department has unjustly detained, have been the focus of talks as his trial continues.
Brittney Griner arrives on Thursday for a hearing at the Khimki Court on the outskirts of Moscow. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)
BRITTNEY GRINER “DECIDED TO TAKE ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS” WITH THE DECLARATION OF GUILT, SAYS THE LEGAL TEAM
Hugh Dugan, a longtime American academic and diplomat who served as the presidential special envoy for hostage affairs under the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital that Griner’s guilty plea further complicates the its release as it gives the Russian government more currency.
“This brings her closer to being identified as a convict with less than a 1% chance of acquittal. There would be more leeway if she hadn’t gotten to this point, I think, and let the system drag her down and not I will classify her as such, but in my opinion this can make her a more valuable resource for Russia, because now they can say that we have a legitimate criminal under her law, and we must be faithful to our system. , etc. “, Dugan. explained.
Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)
One of the names reported as a possibility is Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “Death Dealer,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States after being convicted of conspiring to kill northern citizens. -Americans and offer help to a terrorist organization.
Dugan explained that this scenario would not be considered “proportionate” based on the charges in each respective case.
Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout goes through temporary cells before a hearing in Bangkok Criminal Court on August 20, 2010. (CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP via Getty Images, archive)
“When we get to trade something like this with a hardened terrorist, proportionality is not the same. And that’s always a big concern in the negotiation that we don’t devalue our person to the point that the next day that same country will take a another, one of our tourists and another American walking innocently for the sake of taking advantage of some important foreign policy asset we have of them. ”
BRITTNEY GRINER pleads guilty to DRUG CARE IN RUSSIA
Tom Schwartz, a distinguished professor of history at Vanderbilt University, echoed that sentiment, calling a prison exchange in a high-risk case like this a “slippery slope.”
“This kind of prisoner exchange is a slippery slope, which opens up the opportunity for other kidnappings of Americans in other countries and the attempt of other nations to obtain the release of prisoners in this way.” , he told Fox News Digital.
Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman, a former head of the CIA station, told the podcast “Fox News Rundown” that the practice of pursuing a prisoner exchange in cases like this is not a new strategy for to the Kremlin.
“Historically, the United States has been induced to do this kind of Faustian business with the Soviets or, in this case, with the KGB operation in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the center, attending the Victory Day military parade commemorating the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow on May 9th. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Following the news of Griner’s plea on Thursday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov criticized the U.S. government for its portrayal of the WNBA star case and the “exaggeration” that surrounds his arrest.
“We have a long-standing framework for discussing these issues. The attempts on the part of the American side to raise bubbles in the public sphere, to make noise on this issue are very clear and do not help in the practical resolution of problems.”
Schwartz said Ryabkov’s comment indicates that the Kremlin is well aware of the urgency behind Griner’s release.
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“He is positioning this and making it clear that Russia now recognizes, we could say, the value of Brittney Griner. I think this could be a negotiating position in the sense that by saying that agitation will make it more difficult, it increases the pressure on the president to do something quickly to try to get him released, as the unrest shows no sign of calm. In that sense, the opportunities for quiet diplomacy in this particular case seem to have been lost. “
WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives at a hearing at Khimki Court on the outskirts of Moscow on July 1. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)
Russia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Griner will have a chance to appeal or seek clemency once a verdict is handed down, but the actual likelihood of that, though not certain, is certain. it’s serious.
“The Russian judicial system could have enjoyed giving it a little less and showing a little clemency in it, but I don’t think we’re talking about his release,” Schwartz said. “Judging Vladimir Putin has proven to be a very erroneous passion on the part of Western analysts who thought it would not invade [Ukraine], he thought he wouldn’t do that, and he does these things. So it might surprise us again. “
A resolution, in this case, will likely be a long and challenging process, Rebekah Koffler, a former Russian-born U.S. intelligence officer and expert on Russia and Vladimir Putin, told Fox News Digital.
“It is likely that the Putin government has already sent its demands to Washington, either through official channels or later channels. But usually these cases are very difficult to resolve because of the two legal systems … The American side does not consider Ms. Griner’s arrest legitimate, even though an illegal substance was found in her possession.The Russians insist the arrest is legitimate and want the U.S. to recognize it. semantic battle in a sense that reflects the confrontation between Russia and the US over control of Ukraine. “
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Brittney Griner (42) at a WNBA playoff game on September 26, 2021 in Everett, Washington (Photo AP / Elaine Thompson, file)
Ryabkov’s comments on Thursday only further solidify the battle that is yet to come.
“The tenacity with which the US Administration and the representatives of the relevant ones [government] The Washington structures are calling on those who have been convicted by us of serious charges and are awaiting the corresponding verdicts, [as] “Detainees” is a reflection of Washington’s unwillingness to perceive the world properly. “
Paulina Dedaj is a digital journalist for Fox News and Fox Business. Follow Paulina Dedaj on Twitter at @PaulinaDedaj. If you have any advice, you can email Paulina at Paulina.Dedaj@fox.com