On Monday, June 27, preliminary hearings in the case of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who is accused of drug smuggling, will take place in the Khimki court.
The investigation of the incident lasted more than four months, and since February, the athlete, who was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport, has been in one of the pre-trial detention centers near Moscow.
In relation to the two-time Olympic champion, a criminal case was initiated under paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Art.
229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and part 1 of Art.
228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, she faces up to ten years in prison.
According to lawyer Maria Yarmush, a specialist in civil and international law, the fact of violation of the law is obvious: the girl was stopped upon arrival in Russia, substances prohibited for transportation were confiscated from her, which underwent the necessary examination.
As the press service of the Federal Customs Service reported in March, an American tried to import vape cartridges with hash oil into the country.
“The term of her punishment depends on whether there are any extenuating circumstances in the case.
Or, perhaps, the athlete will go for a simplified review procedure, that is, she will fully agree with the charge.
As far as I know, she does not deny the fact of import, but only indicates that these substances are allowed in the USA, and tries to explain that she did not know about their ban in Russia, ”Yarmush said in a comment to RT.
According to the expert, the best option for the development of events for a basketball player would be an exchange for a Russian imprisoned in a US prison.
In particular, information is circulating in the press about negotiations on the possible return of Viktor Bout to his homeland.
In order for such an exchange to take place, it is necessary, firstly, to conclude an appropriate diplomatic agreement, and secondly, to bring the case of the American woman to its logical conclusion - that is, to pass a sentence.
“There is no legal concept of exchanging a person for a person, but if agreements are reached, this is possible.
We have a positive example: Konstantin Yaroshenko recently returned to his homeland.
In order for the procedure to take place, the accused must receive a sentence, and then apply for a pardon to the president, ”Yarmush noted.
Greiner is an iconic figure in American basketball.
As part of the US team, she twice won the Olympics and World Championships, and in the women's NBA, the Phoenix center is one of the brightest stars, the owner of many individual awards.
In 2015, she signed a contract with the Yekaterinburg UMMC, for which she played during breaks in the American championship.
That is why in February the athlete once again flew to Russia.
Brittney quite calmly, even in a sense philosophically, took the situation in which she found herself.
As human rights activist Ekaterina Kalugina reported in March, the American reads a lot - she asked for Dostoevsky's books and a biography of members of the Rolling Stones.
In addition, the girl can send emails to family and friends, and, according to Los Angeles forward Amanda Zaui B, she even jokes in her messages and demonstrates a very positive attitude.
And perhaps the only objective problem of the basketball player's stay in the pre-trial detention center was her height: the athlete simply does not fit on the bed.
Of course, the months of isolation cannot but affect her physical form.
So, according to the 1992 Olympic champion Elena Baranova, it is almost impossible to do the necessary exercises in a cell.
And if the conclusion stretches for more than a year, then this will most likely mean the end of the American career.
“In basketball, in addition to elementary push-ups or pull-ups, you need a cardio load, that is, long distances.
You also need to work on throws.
That is, Brittney is waiting for a serious recession.
And her fate depends on the verdict and further developments, on diplomatic negotiations, ”said Baranova.
“If she stays in custody for up to a year, then, most likely, she will be able to recover.
You just need to show character.
And if everything stretches out for a longer period, then she will not even try to return to form.
Greiner is now almost 32 years old, and in two or three years she will turn 35 - this is exactly the age when players end their professional careers, ”she added.
The European champion in 2003 and the general director of the Sparta&K basketball club Anna Arkhipova-von Kalmanovich also believes that the return of the center to the court is possible if the break is not too long.
“In sports, there are injuries and surgeries.
Sometimes people recover for a year and a half and return to their careers.
I hope that everything will work out for her when she is in a different status.
As a human being, I feel very sorry for her, ”said the European champion.
At the same time, none of the interlocutors of RT were surprised by the story of drug smuggling by an American woman in itself.
So, according to Arkhipova-von Kalmanovich, there were always “all sorts of rumors” about athletes from the United States, although she herself had never seen evidence that they were using something illegal.
And Baranova recalled that during her performance in the women's NBA, players were sometimes caught on a ban.
“Testing was carried out in the league: they said that they were testing for doping, but they were also looking for traces of narcotic or psychotropic substances.
And it happened that the girls came across after some parties.
I will not name names, but their careers ended because no one needs drug addicted athletes.
This is primarily the risk of death on the site, because it is not known how the body will react.
In addition, the league then promoted a healthy lifestyle, tried to have a positive impact on young people, so drugs did not fit into this picture in any way, ”said the only Russian participant in the WNBA All-Star Game.
She also noted that Griner discredited herself as a basketball player and Olympic champion.
“In my understanding, drugs and sports are incompatible in principle.
In any case, this is a stain on the reputation, ”said Baranova.
Meanwhile, a large-scale action was launched in the United States in support of the Phoenix center.
Demonstrations are taking place in New York demanding the release of the girl and her return to her homeland, and on the popular platform of civil initiatives, the corresponding petition has already collected more than 260 thousand votes.
The women's NBA union, the Boston Celtics team, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, and racing driver Lewis Hamilton expressed their solidarity with Brittney.
At the same time, their appeals are directed not to the Russian authorities, but to the American ones.
The purpose of the action is to reach out to President Joe Biden.
But so far Greiner's supporters are not too happy with the progress in this matter.
So, her wife Sherel recently spoke very sharply against the US government, because it was their fault that the telephone conversation between the spouses did not take place: as it turned out, the department of the American embassy, which was responsible for forwarding the call, was closed on Saturday.
The US State Department called Brittney's detention "illegal" and created an interdepartmental team led by Presidential Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens to release her.
The press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the situation, categorically refused to consider the proposed wording correct.
“Why should we call her a hostage?
There are a number of countries that you cannot enter with drugs.
This is also pursued under Russian law.
Russia is not the only country in the world that has strict legislation in this sense,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
According to Maria Yarmush, the United States constantly uses rhetoric against Russia that has no legal basis.
“They simply escalate the situation and deny the obvious facts.
They probably think that since they can use these substances, then other countries should adhere to a similar point of view.
But other sovereign states have their own legislation, their own prohibitions related to culture and the situation in the country.
If this act is prescribed as an article in the criminal code, then the detention is absolutely legal and justified,” the lawyer emphasized.
According to Baranova, support actions in the United States will not affect the consideration of the case in Russia.
At the same time, she proposed to conduct short courses for legionnaires to immerse themselves in the legislation of the country they come to in order to avoid similar situations in the future.
“Brittney, of course, it’s a pity, but I don’t think that they will let her go and feel sorry for her just because she is a famous athlete and champion.
The law is strong, but it's law.
And it is necessary to educate all the legionnaires who come to the country.
Not only in Russia, but in any state, it would be useful to conduct an educational program about what is possible and what is not.
Different countries have different approaches, so you have to be very careful, and especially when it comes to drugs, ”concluded the ex-captain of the national team.