Brittney Griner’s lawyers told the Russian court on Friday that she had a prescription for medical marijuana for a chronic injury prior to her arrest in February.
The WNBA superstar recently pleaded guilty to drug charges and faces a 10-year prison sentence after she was detained at a Moscow airport carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil.
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“The defense today provided written evidence, including character materials, medical documents and tax returns,” Griner’s lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin, and Partners, told Reuters. “Among the medical documents is a doctor’s note for the substance that Brittney Griner inadvertently left among her belongings when crossing the border.”
Friday marked the fourth court hearing since her trial began. A day earlier, character witnesses testified on her behalf.
“Brittney has always been a good teammate, which is why my role here is to support her and be there for her,” team captain Evgeniya Belyakova said after the hearing, according to CNN. “We miss her and her energy so much. I was very glad to see her. I hope the process ends soon and ends well.”
The team director, Maksim Ryabkov, said he spoke about “what a big role she played in the success of the Ekaterinburg club and Russian women’s basketball in general with her performances in the EuroLeague, how she raised our national rating.”
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Her case has gotten significant attention, especially since the start of her trial, in part due to allies and activists pressuring the Biden administration to get her home quickly. The State Department considers her wrongfully detained.
There have been talks of a prisoner exchange involving Griner and Paul Whelan, another American the government considers to be wrongfully detained in Russia. Whelan, who was accused of being a spy but denies the allegations, is a couple years removed from receiving a 16-year prison sentence.
