KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — U. S. basketball star Brittney Griner testified Wednesday at her drug trial in Russia that a language interpreter who questioned her translated only a fraction of what was said and that officials asked her to sign documents without offering an explanation.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. He admitted in court earlier this month that he had vaping cartridges containing hashish oil when he arrived in Russia, but maintains he had no criminal intent and inadvertently packed the cartridges.
During his testimony, the Phoenix Mercury star described making a grueling 13-hour flight to Moscow from Arizona while recovering from COVID-19. Griner said she still knew how the hash oil she had been recommended for by a doctor ended up in her bag, but explained that she packed up in a hurry while she was very stressed.
She recalled how her luggage was searched upon arrival in Moscow on February 17 and discarded after inspectors discovered the cartridges.
In addition to the interpreter offering an incomplete translation, Griner said he did not get any explanation about his rights or access to lawyers and was tasked with signing documents without receiving an explanation of what they entailed.
After hours of proceedings she didn’t understand, she was allowed to hand over her belongings to a lawyer before she was taken away in handcuffs, Griner said. a court sanctioned his arrest.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs. His trial began on July 1 and the last five hearings so far have been short, some of which lasted just an hour.
It’s unclear how long the trial will last, but a court allowed Griner’s detention until Dec. 20. She traveled to Russia to play for a Russian team in the WNBA offseason.
During Tuesday’s hearing of about 90 minutes, a Russian neuropsychologist testified about the use of medical hashish, which remains illegal in Russia. Griner’s defense team submitted a letter from an American doctor recommending the basketball player use medical hashish to treat the pain.
Griner testified Wednesday that he suffers from pain caused by injuries sustained during his basketball career. He noted that hash oil is widely used in the United States for medicinal purposes and has fewer negative effects than other painkillers.
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said last week that the legalization of hashish for medical and recreational purposes in parts of the United States has no bearing on what is happening in Russia.
Griner’s slow trial and months of detention prompted strong complaints from her teammates and supporters in the United States, who officially declared her “unjustly detained,” a designation that Russian officials strongly rejected.
Griner was arrested in February amid rising tensions between the United States and Moscow before Russia sent troops to Ukraine later that month. Some advocates claim she is being held in Russia as a pawn, perhaps for a prisoner exchange. Rapinoe said she “is being held as a political prisoner, obviously. “
Russian media speculated that Griner could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is imprisoned in the United States, and that Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, could also be included in an exchange.
U. S. officials have commented on customers for such an exchange. Russian officials said no exchange will be discussed until the conclusion of the lawsuit against Griner.