Griner’s lawyers tell Russian court she was prescribed medical cannabis

Brittney Griner's attorneys informed a Russian court docket that she was prescribed medical hashish for a continual harm.
REUTERS

Attorneys for imprisoned basketball star Brittney Griner informed a Russian court docket Friday that the hashish she “inadvertently” introduced into Moscow was prescribed by a US physician to deal with continual accidents.

The WNBA star wore a Nirvana shirt with a smiley-face emblem for her fourth
listening to on drug costs — additionally grinning broadly behind the bars of the court docket cage regardless of going through as much as 10 years in jail.

Whereas the Phoenix Mercury standout pleaded responsible final week to drug costs, her protection crew submitted paperwork Friday that included a allow for medical hashish that was issued in Arizona.

“Among the many medical paperwork is a physician’s notice for the substance that Brittney Griner inadvertently left amongst her belongings when crossing the border,” mentioned the athlete’s legal professional, Maria Blagovolina.

“The attending doctor gave Brittney suggestions for using medical hashish,” Blagovolina insisted in court docket, saying the 6-foot-9 tall athlete wanted it for “continual pains” from sports activities accidents.

Brittney Griner is escorted to court docket earlier than a listening to in Khimki exterior Moscow, Russia

REUTERS

The 2-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February — simply days earlier than the warfare on Ukraine. She faces as much as 10 years in jail for transporting medicine.

The US, nevertheless, considers the athlete “wrongly detained” together with different People nonetheless held in Russia, together with former Marine Paul Whelan who's serving 16 years on an espionage conviction.

Below Russian legislation, Griner’s responsible plea didn't finish the trial, which is now targeted on her character and athletic prowess.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner speaks along with her attorneys at a courtroom previous to a listening to within the Khimki district court docket.

AP

The director of UMMC Ektaerinburg — the Russian crew Griner had been touring to play for in her low season — testified to her “excellent potential” and “private contribution to strengthening crew spirit.”

At one level throughout Friday’s listening to, Griner additionally held up a printed photograph of fellow WNBA gamers carrying jerseys along with her quantity, 42, as a present of help earlier this month.

Griner’s detention has been approved by means of Dec. 20, suggesting the trial might final months. Her attorneys, nevertheless, mentioned they count on it to conclude across the starting of August.

“She is drained,” one other of her attorneys, Alexander Boykov, informed reporters after the listening to, in line with Agence France-Presse.

President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have mentioned they're doing all they may to win her launch, in addition to different “wrongly detained” People.

Her detention has sparked hypothesis that she shall be topic to a prisoner swap, with rumors that Russia desires to commerce her for infamous “Service provider of Loss of life” arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Nonetheless, Russian Deputy Overseas Minister Sergei Ryabkov mentioned that US criticism of the arrest “makes it troublesome to have interaction in detailed dialogue of any doable exchanges.”

With Put up wires