Lawyers defending American basketball player Brittney Griner, who faces up to 10 years in prison for drug charges in Russia, have told a Russian court that Griner had a doctor’s permission to use medical cannabis to treat an injury.
During the fourth hearing in Griner’s case on Friday, defense attorney Maria Blagovolina said an “American assistant physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medicinal cannabis.”
“The permit was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health,” she said in the courtroom on the outskirts of Moscow, where the All-Star trial of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is taking place.
Blagovolina also told Reuters news agency that Griner’s defense team on Friday filed written evidence in court, including “a doctor’s note about the substance that Brittney Griner inadvertently left among her belongings when she crossed over. the border “.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested at the Russian capital’s airport in February after cans of cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage. Last week he pleaded guilty to drug possession and drug trafficking, but said he had no intention of committing any crime.
His arrest, which comes at a time of rising tensions between the United States and Russia over the war in Ukraine, has prompted Griner’s teammates and many others to call on US President Joe Biden to ensure his immediate release.
The administration has said Griner is being “mistakenly detained” by Russian authorities and his case is a priority.
“I will insist again on the U.S. government’s commitment to the highest levels of bringing home Brittney Griner and all unjustly detained U.S. citizens,” said Elizabeth Rood, business manager of the U.S. embassy in Moscow. , after Friday’s hearing.
The admission of guilt does not automatically end a trial in Russia’s judicial system, and Griner has argued that he had no intention of breaking the law and that he had accidentally included the containers in his luggage after packing quickly.
Griner, who plays in the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was scheduled to play for Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg in the United States out of season, a common move for WNBA players who can make a lot more money playing abroad.
The WNBA star has received the support of Russian sports figures such as the head of the UMCC Ekaterinburg club, Maxim Ryabkov, who appeared in an audience on Thursday to praise Griner’s good character. Ryabkov told the court that Griner demonstrated “exceptional skills as a player and a personal contribution to strengthening team spirit.”
“We miss her a lot, her energy,” UMC Ekaterinburg captain Yevgenia Belyakova also told reporters this week, adding that she wanted to “be by her side.” [Griner] At this moment”.
Griner is escorted before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow on July 15, 2022 [Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]
In the United States, teammates, loved ones, and advocacy groups have called on the Biden administration to work for Griner’s release.
On July 4, American Independence Day, the WNBA players’ union tweeted that it was “difficult to enjoy a day to celebrate independence when one of our own citizens, Brittney Griner, is still unjustly detained in Russia. “
Biden spoke with Griner’s wife earlier this month and has said the United States is looking for “all avenues” to take her home.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have downplayed suggestions that Griner could be released in a prisoner exchange with the U.S.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that until his trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about further steps.”
Ryabkov also warned that Griner’s descriptions as “arrested by mistake,” a designation issued by the U.S. State Department, make it difficult to engage in a detailed discussion of any possible exchange. “
Sitting in the defendant’s metal cage during Friday’s hearing, Griner raised a printed photograph of WNBA teammates wearing T-shirts with their number, 42, during a game in Chicago earlier this month. . He was wearing a Nirvana T-shirt and smiled as he clung to the metal bars.
The defense team told the court he had “chronic pain” from sports injuries. He also provided documents to demonstrate his successes in basketball and his contribution to charities.
“She’s tired,” another of her lawyers, Alexander Boykov, told reporters after the hearing.