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Brittney Griner appeared publicly in a Russian court on Monday as authorities set the date for her trial after being arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs at a Moscow airport.
The criminal trial was set on July 1, and the WNBA star was ordered to remain in custody for the duration of her criminal trial. A court in Khimki on the outskirts of Moscow extended her detention for another six months. If convicted of her, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
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Greener was seen handcuffed to court. The 6-foot-9 Phoenix Mercury Center wore glasses and a gray T-shirt when informed about the date of the trial.
Greener was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport in February after being accused of bringing in an arc cartridge containing cannabis-derived oil through security. Her arrest took place a week before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, but news of her detention did not reveal it until March.
When it comes to talking about Greener’s arrest, US officials and the WNBA remained unobtrusive. Her fellow basketball stars began to increase pressure to release her until the State Department reclassified Greener as “accidentally detained.”
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Russian media speculates on the possibility of Grinner’s prisoner exchange with Victor Bout, a convicted arms dealer known as the “merchant of death.” The match has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of a plot to kill an American and providing assistance to a terrorist organization. Russian officials have recently downplayed the possibility of trade.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked at CNN on Sunday about the possibility of a joint exchange of another detained American, Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for Grinner and the spy.
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“As a general suggestion, I have no higher priority than ensuring that Americans who are somehow illegally detained around the world return home,” Blinken said. “I can’t comment in detail about what we’re doing, except to say that this is an absolute priority.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.