WNBA star, two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner back in Russian court on cannabis charge
The Hindu
If convicted, Brittney Griner could face 10 years in prison.
KHIMKI (Russia)
Brittney Griner was back in court on August 2 for her trial for cannabis possession amid U. S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release. If convicted, the WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. As her trial has progressed, the Joe Biden administration has faced growing public pressure to get her released.
In an extraordinary move, Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.
The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago, the direct outreach at odds with U. S. efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
People familiar with the proposal say it envisions trading Griner and Whelan for the notorious arms trader Viktor Bout. It underlines the public pressure that the White House has faced to get Griner released.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that Russia has made a “bad faith” response to the U. S. government’s offer, a counteroffer that American officials don’t regard as serious. She declined to elaborate.
Also Read | In rare contact, U.S. offers Russia prisoner swap deal for Griner, Whelan
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