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Barry Gossage/NBAE Getty Brittney Griner
After more than 4 months in detention, the trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner will begin on Friday in Russia.
Griner, 31, is a two-time Olympic medalist and seven-time WNBA All-Star lately on the Phoenix Mercury roster. She was arrested on Feb. 17 at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow, according to original New York Times reports.
Russia’s Federal Customs Service alleges that Griner owned vaping cartridges containing hashish oil during his airport vacation.
Here’s what you want to know about your case at the beginning of the trial.
Why Griner in Russia?
The Phoenix Mercury player was in Russia before her arrest to compete in various overseas groups between the WNBA season, which lasts all summer. Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike said Griner had already played in Russia for 4 years, Poland for a year and China for two years, explaining, “We’re going there to supplement our income,” an appearance on Good Morning America.
What will the trial consist of?
Griner will remain in detention until the end of the hearings, his lawyer Alexander Boykov told The New York Times.
On Monday, Griner noticed she was handcuffed on her way to her initial hearing, where the Russian court informed her of the July 1 trial date.
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KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP Getty Brittany Griner in a Russian court on June 27
The expected length of Griner’s trial is unknown.
According to ESPN, Tom Firestone, a former resident legal assistant at the U. S. Embassy. “A trial is a trial in the American sense: opening statements, jury selection, ‘call your first witness,’ none of that. “
Firestone told the outlet that he expects Griner to be placed in a metal bar cage for the duration of the trial, which can last from a few days to several months.
Griner’s circle of relatives will not be at trial, according to Firestone. However, U. S. embassy officialsthey will have to “attend” the July 1 hearing date.
What can be fair to Griner?
The Washington Post reported that Griner could face up to 10 years if convicted. His case is now being overseen by the president’s special envoy for hostage affairs, a State Department that focuses on releasing unjustly detained Americans.
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Political commentator and ESPN correspondent Angela Rye made the impression on a June episode of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, where she told PEOPLE editor-in-chief Janine Rubenstein that the Russian justice formula has a “very, very high conviction rate. “
RELATED: Brittney Griner is ‘fighting’ and ‘terrified’ in Russia, says his wife Cherelle
Rye added that he would “even go so far as to say that once he is arrested, he can make sure that there will be a conviction and that they will be convicted. “
“It’s time for the American public to stand up for Brittney,” Rye said, adding that “nearly 300,000 more people have signed a petition to bring [Griner] home. “
What was done to bring Griner home?
In May, the US State Department called Griner’s arrest a wrongful detention. “The State Department has determined that the Russian Federation mistakenly detained United States citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement received via PEOPLE. “The US government will continue to provide appropriate assistance to Ms. Griner and her family. “
The WNBA has also worked to keep Griner’s case at the forefront of media attention this season, adding that it named her an honorary All-Star this season and incorporated the hashtag #WeAreBG where possible.
Cherelle Griner, who married the WNBA star in June 2019, told Al Sharpton on Wednesday that his wife was “struggling,” ahead of her trial date. “She is human. She’s terrified there, she’s there alone. “
Ethan Miller/Getty Cherelle and Brittney Griner
Cherelle, who graduated from law school in May, added that he believed his wife was not fully expressing her fears before the trial. “Since I’m her person, she’ll try to write convincingly to make sure she doesn’t break me because she knows I’m reading for my bar and she knows I have all those things going on and she’s trying to be my strong person.
Griner’s friends and family, as well as colleagues in the NBA and WNBA, have called for a media policy closer to his situation.
RELATED: Brittney Griner’s wife speaks of ‘total vulnerability’ as she calls for help for detained WNBA player
“We want this public tension to let them know that Brittney is important,” Cherelle said.
“We’re never going to be silent about it until she comes back; we will never allow them to take their valuable time. We want to exert as much public pressure as possible on our government to act quickly,” he added.