Was the American arrested in Russia for legitimate reasons or a hostage of the diplomatic war? The trial of star basketball player Britney Greiner in a drug trafficking and kidnapping case is set to open near Moscow this Friday. Continuity can reveal how much the athlete is at risk of becoming a bargaining chip between two forces.
Released at 12:00 p.m.
“It’s not good,” said William Bomarans, an expert in Russian law and executive director of the Cannon Institute. Press Talking on the phone. “It is almost impossible to get rid of a case [dans le système criminel russe]And the investigation also involves political changes, “adds two years of training in business and international law in Russia.
The star of the Phoenix Mercury, a team of the National Basketball Association of Women (WNBA), was arrested at an airport near Moscow just a few days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last February. According to Russian officials, the cannabis oil contained “evaporators and a liquid with a specific odor.”
The 31-year-old doubles Olympic gold medalist faces between 5 and 10 years in prison if convicted.
“Russia is one of the few countries in the world that does not tolerate drugs,” said William E. Snyder, a law professor at Pennsylvania State University. Butler underlines. Press Talking on the phone. Each year, 80,000 or 90,000 people in Russia are convicted of drug-related crimes. This is not uncommon. ⁇
Cash change
The fear is that the case mMe Griner can be dealt with not on the basis of accumulated evidence, but on the basis of his value in the exchange of potential prisoners.
“At this point, the facts of his case are no longer being considered from the same angle,” said Maria Popova, an associate professor at McGill University. Since she is American, it does not really matter whether she had drugs or not. The question is whether Russia wants him to trade with anyone. ⁇
In April, Trevor Reid, a former Marine who was sentenced to nine years in prison for violence, was transferred to Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted of drug trafficking in the United States 12 years ago.
Reasonable tests
In Russia, justice does not have the same freedom as in Canada, for example. Experts say this does not mean that a fair trial for ordinary crimes is not possible. But when it comes to politics, the question is very serious.
“If it turned out to be political, he would be convicted,” said Jeffrey Conn, a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas. No doubt. But if she behaves like a normal human being – in other words, whatever you hear about the Kremlin’s interest or whatever – I think you can expect a test. ⁇
The problem is that there are many cases of dissidents, activists, dissidents, who do not have a fair trial, which sows the seeds of distrust – the size of a grapefruit – in the heads of spectators around the world.
Jeffrey Kahn, professor of law at Southern Methodist University
He is concerned about the information received so far, especially about his detention while awaiting trial – a judge has denied house arrest. Although the evidence appears to be very concise, the time allotted for the hearing and Mr.Me The grinder also sends alarm signals during the test, which lasts up to two months.
“We don’t know if this is a political investigation,” he says. But the evidence is beginning to accumulate. ⁇
An example … no
Last May, the US State Department said the athlete had been wrongly detained, without explaining the reasons behind the decision. So his file was transferred to the US Special Envoy in charge of the hostages.
Mr. Butler recalled that we still knew very little about the safety of the unspoken athlete.
I do not know why Russia wants to set an example. The current state of political relations between states does not help, but I do not see it as a decisive factor.
William E. Butler is a law professor at Pennsylvania State University
Like many WNBA players, Britney Greiner played overseas using the gap between the two seasons. He has been part of the UMMC Yekaterinburg team in Russia since 2014.
As of Thursday afternoon, he had amassed more than 288,000 signatures in an online petition seeking his return to the United States.
With Agencies France-Press
