Brittney Griner’s trial will begin Friday, according to her lawyer, and her imprisonment will be extended for six months.
Griner, who has been jailed in Russia since her arrest at a Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges, entered the preliminary hearing in person Monday, shackled and escorted by guards in black vests. Her photo features a gray T-shirt and glasses.
Boykov told CNN the hearing would be held in Khimki, outside Moscow.
Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner, 31, was arrested February 17. Russian authorities accused her of importing cannabis oil, a 10-year felony.
State Department official told CNN in May that Griner was “wrongfully detained.”
Brittney Griner’s incarceration has triggered a wave of support among dozens of US organizations, which have joined Brittney’s wife, Cherelle, in pressing President Joe Biden to make an exchange deal with Russian authorities to release Griner and return her home safely as soon as possible.
