WNBA star Brittney Griner's trial starts in Russia

(Image credit: Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

published 1 July 2022

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner's trial started Friday in a Russian court, The Associated Press and NBC News report.

Griner, who plays for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, was arrested on drug smuggling charges after Russian authorities accused her of trying to carry cannabis vape cartridges through security in a Moscow airport. She could face 10 years in prison if convicted. Griner was detained in February, less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine. Her wife, Cherelle, has said Griner is "a political pawn," and called for President Biden to negotiate her release.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.

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