“No complaints”: American basketball player Greiner talked about Russian prison

The Khimki Court of the Moscow Region continues to examine the case of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained on March 5 while passing through customs at Sheremetyevo Airport with marijuana.

Defense witnesses intervened

The Athlete is charged with committing a crime under paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Art. 229.1, Part 1 of Art. 228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – smuggling and possession of drugs.

The next meeting was held on July 26, and the court began questioning the defense witnesses. Attorney Griner, partner at law firm Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners Maria Blagovolina, said the drug may have been used by the athlete as prescribed by a doctor.

“Today, the defense questioned a narcologist. He briefed the court on the practice of using cannabis for medicinal purposes, which is quite common in some countries, especially among athletes, including the United States. Thus, the drug found in Brittney can be used as prescribed by a doctor. ”said Blagovolina.

At one of the past meetings, the defense of the two-time Olympic champion allowed the use of medical marijuana. The document was published by the Arizona Department of Health. At the same time, no banned substance was found in the body of an American basketball player.

An unpleasant incident occurred during the court session – the representative of the United States Embassy fainted.

As the Telegram channel 112 reports, the possible cause of fainting can be extreme heat. Court personnel were able to help the victim quickly and called an ambulance. The court was adjourned after the health of the US embassy representative deteriorated.

Greiner himself will be questioned on July 27. Prior to that, the court found out if he had any complaints about the conditions of detention in Russia.

“No, there are no complaints. I just wait patiently,” said the basketball player.

Greiner also addressed his wife, Charelle, during the meeting. “Good luck with the Bar exam,” said Brittney by Yahoo Sports.

“We miss him and we are doing our best to remove him”

The sports community in the United States is actively trying to help its citizen get out of custody. One of Greiner’s brightest defenders is Megan Rapinoe, two-time world champion and winner of the London Olympics. In a recent interview, the captain of the USA women’s soccer team expressed regret that his efforts were not enough to save the basketball player.

“The most surprising thing for me is that Greiner is not here… He deserves freedom.

Every time we see Greiner’s face, every time we say his name, he puts pressure on everyone, he puts pressure on the administration, he puts pressure on Russia.

It also lets Greiner know we love her, miss her, and do our best to get her out. We haven’t done enough,” Rapino told the Sports Bible.

However, not everyone agrees with Rapinoe’s opinion. Former American baseball player Kurt Schilling said Greiner should be held accountable for his crime.

“And why not be punished for violating another country’s laws? As far as I know from each of his quotes, he never denied having committed a crime, not once, but not once, ”said Schilling’s words.

A similar view was expressed in one of the briefings by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, criticizing the statements of the US authorities calling Greiner’s arrest illegal.

“This should be commensurate with our local laws. And not what was accepted in San Francisco, New York, Washington,” said Zakharova.

The final decision in the Greiner case will not be made soon – after hearing the defense witnesses, the parties will argue, and then the athlete will have the last word. If the court takes the side of the prosecution, Griner can go to places of deprivation of liberty in accordance with article 229.1 of part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and article 228 of part 1 of the Criminal Code for up to ten years. of the Russian Federation – up to three years.