Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas. She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.
Brittney Griner: Trial| Testimony| Translation issue| Documents
Trial:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Washington had offered Russia a deal that would bring home Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.
A person familiar with the matter said the U.S. government proposed trading convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.
Asked about the U.S. offer, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied that prisoner swaps were typically negotiated discreetly behind the scenes.
Testimony:
“I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bags,” said Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February, when authorities said they found cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
Translation Issue:
Griner — who plays in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason — pleaded guilty earlier this month, a decision the defense hopes will be taken into account by the court and perhaps lead to a less severe sentence.
But the US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained, and her supporters have called for her release, fearing she might be used as a political pawn amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Documents:
These sources told CNN the plan to trade Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout — who is serving a 25-year US prison sentence — received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year.
Biden’s support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades.
“We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information,” Peskov told reporters during a conference call. “Normally, the public learns about it when the agreements are already implemented.”
