Brittney Griner found support from Russian basketball figures as her trial resumed Thursday. While the basketball star did not testify on the third day of her drugs possession trial in Russia, the director of the Russian team she plays for in the offseason said he told the court about her merits.
Griner pleaded guilty to a drug charge last week.
Griner previously told a judge she didn’t intend to break the law when she was caught with 0.7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage while entering Russia in February.
The hearing was closed to reporters and Griner arrived in handcuffs, according to Reuters.
UMMC Yekaterinburg captain Yevgenia Belyakova and team boss Maxim Ryabkov testified in Griner’s defense, telling the court of her “outstanding abilities as a player and personal contribution to the strengthening team spirit,” the basketball star’s attorney told Reuters.
“It was an extremely emotional day for Brittney, who was touched by the appearance of the club director, head physician and her teammate, who gave an extremely positive description of our client both personally and professionally,” attorney Maria Blagovolina said.
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Griner was arrested in February at the Russian capital’s Sheremetyevo Airport when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She has been jailed since then, facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Last week’s guilty plea could be used as a tactic to speed up the court proceedings, so potential negotiations of a prisoner swap could take place.
Griner’s detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the trial could last months.
