Brittney Griner Trial Set to Begin on July 1

Editor’s Note: According to the Associated Press, Griner’s detainment has been extended and she will be required to remain in custody for the duration of her trial.

A Russian court has set July 1st as the start date for Brittney Griner’s trial. The Phoenix Mercury center will remain in detainment until the trial is over, according to Aleksandr Boikov, Griner’s lawyer.

Griner didn’t talk at the Khimki city court she appeared in during her preliminary hearing, according to the New York TimeTimes’mination of a court video that was posted by state news agency TASS. The former Baylor Beat has been detained in Russia since February due to the alleged illegal possession of vape cartridges with traces of hash oil in her luggage.

We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely!! Our voice as athletes is stronger together. @uninterrupted #WeAreBG pic.twitter.com/2GWV3Ff81p

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 6, 2022

The State Department declared that Griner was wrongly detained in May. If convicted, Griner could face up to 10 years in prison. Boikov says that he expected the trial to take up to two months, depending on the court’s workload. He also says Griner feels well and has no complaints about her treatment in the pretrial detention center.

“It’s hot in Moscow, so she feels that too, especially while being transported to the court,” Boikov said per the New York Times.

According to the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, Griner isn’t held hostage and was being held accountable for violating Russian law during an interview he had with MSNBC.

The WNBA has honored Griner with a floor decal with her initials and jersey number displayed on all 12 franchise courts. The city of Houston held a parade calling for her release, and athletes across the WNBA and NBA, including both LeBron James and Hall-of-Famer Penny Taylor, expressed their public support for GrinGriner’sease from Russian detention. James posted a message on Instagram while Taylor used her induction speech to call for GrinGriner’sease.

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