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Brittney Griner kept in a small cage in the corner during most of her court appearance in Russia [1]
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Date: 2022-07-07
Reuters has a court statement by Griner which is a little different, reading in part: “I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law … I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare.”
Per CNN, sources close to Griner encouraged her to consider this when making her decision on how to plead. It’s possible she is hoping to plea and get a shorter sentence. But we don’t know for sure.
According to the prosecution, Griner purchased two cartridges with hash oil for personal use before landing in Russia, coming in at 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams respectively. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The trial could last months, per her lawyer, and Griner has been ordered to remain detained for the length of the trial.
There’s been some talk about freeing Griner via a prisoner exchange. Basically, the U.S. could release a prisoner back to Russia in exchange for Griner coming home. As we all know, Griner was arrested right before Russia invaded Ukraine, and the nation’s relationship with the United States since then has not been … ripe for negotiating such an exchange, to put it mildly.
But folks are still pointing out that in order for a prisoner swap to happen, Griner would likely have to plead guilty. Is this part of the current strategy? We simply don’t know. But it’s possible.
As of May, the State Department reclassified Griner as “wrongfully detained.” The department also transferred oversight of the case to the envoy for hostage affairs.
Why was Griner heading to Russia to begin with? Like many WNBA stars, Griner plays in Russia during the off-season in order to supplement her income. In spite of being a decorated (and pretty famous) professional athlete, Griner makes much, much less than players in the NBA. Griner’s WNBA salary maxes out at under $250,000 per year, so she has gone to Russia over the years to earn much more.
Some folks are relentless when it comes to saying Griner could have just not gone to Russia. And yes, this is true; if she hadn’t been flying into Russia, she would not be sitting in a Russian jail right now. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t now being used as a political pawn. It doesn’t mean she deserves 10 years in a foreign prison. It doesn’t mean we can’t look at the structural and systemic reasons Griner would go to Russia. It doesn’t mean we can’t contextualize Russia’s vehemently racist and anti-queer policies and remember Griner is a Black openly gay woman married to another woman.
The U.S. needs to do right by Griner and get her home. As of now, the court has adjourned until July 14.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/7/2108987/-Brittney-Griner-kept-in-a-small-cage-in-the-corner-during-most-of-her-court-appearance-in-Russia
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