Russian prosecutors have demanded that American basketball star Brittney Griner be sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison on cannabis possession charges.
Closing arguments in Ms Griner’s trial were taking place on Thursday, nearly six months after her arrest at a Moscow airport and subsequent detention in a case that has reached the highest levels of US-Russia diplomacy because of the Ukraine war.
Although a conviction appears almost certain, judges have significant leeway when it comes to sentencing.
Lawyers for the Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist have called for her to be acquitted.
A lawyer on Ms Griner’s defence team, Maria Blagovolina, argued that Ms Griner brought cannabis cartridges with her to Russia inadvertently and only used them in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. Prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko argued that Ms Griner packed the cannabis oil deliberately.
Critics in the US claim she is being used as a political pawn by Moscow and before her trial began in July, the State Department designated her as being “wrongfully detained”, moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator.
Last week, in an extraordinary move, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Ms 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.
People familiar with the potential prisoner swap, say it could lead to Ms Griner and Mr Whelan being traded for notorious arms trader Viktor Bout.
Ms Griner apologized to her family and her team during closing arguments in her trial on Thursday.
“I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my life”, she told the court, according to the Associated Press.
Lawyers for Griner have put forward character witnesses from her Russian team which she played for during the WNBA offseason as well as written testimony from the doctor who issued the cannabis prescription for treating pain.
Ms Blagovolina argued that Ms Griner should be acquitted, citing her lack of a criminal record and because of her work in “the development of Russian basketball”.
Another lawyer defending Griner, Alexander Boykov, spoke about her role in winning several championships with her team Yekaterinburg, adding that she’s loved by her teammates, many of whom look up to her.
Mr Boykov told the court that Ms Griner being convicted would hamper Russian efforts to improve their national sports and go against Moscow saying that politics should be removed from sports.
The attorney noted that following her arrest, Ms Griner gained the liking of the guards and other inmates, with some shouting “Brittney, everything will be okay!” during her walks at the jail.
Mr Vlasenko argued that in addition to the prison sentence, she should be fined a million rubles ($16,700).
Before the verdict was handed down, Ms Griner said she didn’t intend to break the law when she brought vape cartridges on her flight.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them”, Ms Griner said, according to the Associated Press. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
Ms Griner said that Yekaterinburg, located east of the Ural Mountains, had become a “second home” for her.
“I had no idea that the team, the cities, the fans, my teammates would make such a great impression on me over the six and a half years that I spent here”, she told the court. “I remember vividly coming out of the gym and all the little girls that were in the stands there waiting on me, and that’s what kept making me come back here.”
