Watchdog

The Russian court hearing the drugs possession case against American basketball star Brittney Griner heard supportive testimony on July 14 from the head of the Russian club she plays for and a teammate.

Griner did not testify during the hearing at a court outside Moscow, but the others who did backed her as character witnesses and told the court what she has meant for women's basketball in Russia.

Griner, who was present in the courtroom under guard and in handcuffs, has been detained in Russia since February. The 31-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the drugs possession charges.

Her lawyer said the boss of the Yekaterinburg club she plays for, Maxim Ryabkov, testified to her good character during the hearing, which was closed to reporters.

Ryabkov told the court of Griner's "outstanding abilities as a player and personal contribution to strengthening team spirit,” lawyer Maria Blagovolina said, quoting Ryabkov.

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Team captain Yevgenia Belyakova also testified in Griner's defense at the court in Khimki.

Belyakova told reporters outside the court that she testified that Brittney has always been a very good teammate and she was there to support her.

“We miss her very much. We miss her energy,” Belyakova added. "I was very happy to see her, and I hope this trial will be over soon and with a positive outcome.”

Also in court were Elizabeth Rood, charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and other consular officials, and they were able to speak to Griner, who told them she appreciated their presence, the U.S. State Department said.

The trial's next session is set for July 15.

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Griner was arrested earlier this year after Russian authorities said they found cannabis oil in vape cartridges in her luggage when she passed through Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. She was returning to play for the Yekaterinburg team in the off-season of the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association.

She pleaded guilty last week, saying the cartridges accidentally ended up in her bag and she did not intend to break the law.

The U.S. government is under pressure at home to do more to secure her freedom.

U.S. and Russian media reported earlier this week that veteran U.S. hostage negotiator Bill Richardson could to travel to Russia to seek the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

The office of the former governor and ambassador on July 11 said the families of Griner and Whelan had asked Richardson to become involved in the matter.

Whelan was detained in December 2018, accused of espionage. He denied the charges but was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.

Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and UN ambassador, has been involved in similar cases since the 1990s, when he negotiated the release of U.S. citizens imprisoned in countries such as North Korea and Burma.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill expanding the definition of so-called foreign agents to include anyone who is "under foreign influence," a change that critics say will make it even easier for the state to target its domestic critics.

The law signed on July 14 will come into force on December 1.

Under the old version of the law, prosecutors had to assert that an individual charged as a foreign agent had to receive financial or material assistance from abroad.

Russia has used its so-called foreign agent laws for the past decade to label and punish critics of government policies.

The amended law also broadens the definition of political activities to include a vague clause covering any activities that "contradict the national interests of the Russian Federation."

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Individuals who are officially labeled as foreign agents will no longer be able to receive state grants for creative activities, work as teachers, organize public events, or work for organizations that distribute information.

According to the law, the four existing registries of foreign agents will be merged and a new list will be created to register all individuals tagged as foreign agents.

Among other things, that designation requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and which the government claims are engaged in political activities to register as foreign agents, to publicly identify themselves as such, and to submit to cumbersome audits.

They also must label any content they produce with an intrusive disclaimer or face criminal fines for not doing so. Kremlin critics say the foreign agent designation is also intended to stigmatize any independent civic activity in Russia.

The foreign agent law has been increasingly used by officials to shutter civil society and media groups in Russia.

The original 2012 legislation, which targeted NGOs and rights groups, has since been expanded to target media organizations, individual journalists, YouTube vloggers, and virtually anyone who receives money from outside of Russia and, in the eyes of the Kremlin, voices a political opinion.

Many of RFE/RL's Russian-language services and 18 of its Russian-national journalists have been added to the government's foreign agents lists.

The U.S. government-funded independent broadcaster suspended its physical operations in Russia in March after local tax authorities initiated bankruptcy proceedings against its Russian entity and police intensified pressure on its journalists. The bankruptcy proceedings stemmed from the company's refusal to comply with the labeling mandate or pay the millions of dollars in fines that accrued for not doing so.

RFE/RL has rejected the foreign agent label and insists upon the independence and integrity of its journalism.