Brittney Griner’s trial in Russia begins July 1

Brittney Griner will face a court trial starting July 1 in Russia, where she has been jailed for more than four months on drug-related charges.

Her lawyer, Alexander Boikov, confirmed the start date for CNN after the handcuffed WNBA star appeared briefly for a preliminary hearing behind closed doors at a court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki on Monday. The court ruled that her detention would be extended by six months pending her trial, Boikov added. He told the New York Times he expects their trial could take up to two months depending on the court’s workload.

Video from an NPR reporter showed the two-time Olympic champion enter and Leave Court, apparently without comment, in official custody. She had previously been ordered to remain in custody until July 2.

Brian Whitmore, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and an assistant professor at the University of Texas-Arlington, described Griner’s detention as “a hostage situation” and her trial as an exercise in “political theater” to pressure the US Government exercise in a prisoner exchange.

“They want to trade them,” Whitmore said, “and they’re going to drag that out until they get something they want.”

Rep. Colin Allred (D-Tex.) said Griner is “a political prisoner by intent and purpose,” and her fans should be prepared for a “mock trial” that will result in a guilty verdict and jail time.

“None of this will mean anything, and I will continue to work closely with the Biden administration to bring them and all Americans detained abroad safely,” Allred said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Griner’s court appearance on Monday and the upcoming trial, Allred added, “are all theatre, to make Russia appear to have a fair legal system and that her incarceration is anything but a deeply cynical, geopolitical power play with a prominent Americans to put more pressure on the negotiations for their release.”

The 31-year-old Griner, who plays for Phoenix Mercury, was stopped at Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and accused of carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. Like many WNBA players who go abroad during the offseason, Griner plays in Russia to supplement her income.

The U.S. State Department has ruled Griner “wrongly imprisoned,” a shift in strategy that indicated it would not wait any longer for the case to move through the Russian legal system and would take more aggressive steps to negotiate her release. If convicted of large-scale drug trafficking, she faces ten years in prison. According to the Associated Press, less than one percent of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and acquittals can be overturned.

After Monday’s hearing, a State Department spokesman said, “Our priority is no higher than the safety of U.S. citizens abroad. The State Department has found that the Russian Federation wrongfully detained US citizen Brittney Griner. The US government will continue to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner and her family. We will continue to press for their release.”

US officials meet with team of WNBA star Brittney Griner who is jailed in Russia

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, told the AP last week that she had “zero confidence” in the government’s handling of the situation after a scheduled phone call between the two didn’t happen because of a “logistical error” at the State Department’s US embassy in Russia .

“I find that unacceptable and I have no faith in our government at the moment,” Cherelle Griner said. “If I can’t trust you to take an after-hours Saturday call, how can I trust you to actually negotiate on my wife’s behalf to get home?” Because that’s a much bigger request than getting a Saturday call.”

As her case draws increasing attention, supporters have called for a prisoner swap, like the one that swapped Navy veteran Trevor Reed for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy in April.

Russian news media have speculated that she could be swapped out for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill US citizens and supporting a terrorist organization. However, the disparity in their crimes makes this unlikely to be acceptable to the US

And 40 minutes later the preliminary hearing is over. No comment from Griner. Her Russian lawyer says the judge extended her detention for the duration of her trial. No date set. Curiously, no representative from the US Embassy is present at the hearing. #BrittneyGriner pic.twitter.com/FSYprXjSgs

— Charles Maynes (@cwmiii3) June 27, 2022

“They want Viktor Bout back. He is associated with the highest levels of the Russian government. This is an attempt to get him back,” said Whitmore of the Atlantic Council. “That is clear [Biden] The administration is increasingly under pressure from society, from Griner’s friends and family. That’s not an enviable position here, because it’s clear what the Russian government wants. It’s like negotiating with a terrorist.”

This is breaking news and will be updated.