After more than four months of being held in Russia for allegedly breaking the country's cannabis possession laws, the trial of the NBA player began on Friday.
There is a courtroom in Moscow, Russia.
The trial is being held in the city of Khimki on the outskirts of the Russian capital and is expected to last two months.
The charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow is in court.
After a preliminary hearing earlier this week, the court in Khimki decided to keep him in custody until December 20.
Less than 1% of criminal cases in Russia end in an exoneration and even those that do can be overturned.
If he is found guilty of drug possession, he could face up to ten years in a Russian prison.
The US basketball star arrived at the court.
The US basketball star arrived at the court.
The ruling is not expected for at least two months. Forbes reported in May that the U.S. is negotiating a prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US.
She was taken into custody at the airport in Moscow after her luggage was found to contain cannabis oil. During the off-season, several top NBA players traveled to Russia to play in the Russian premier league. The officials in Washington refused to buy Russia's line that she was wrongly held by the US. Bill Richardson is a former U.S. diplomat who handled international hostage negotiations. In an interview with NBC News, the Kremlin's top spokesman said that the woman was being punished for breaking Russian law and not being held hostage.
After being held for a third time, the Kremlin insists are not a hostage.
The trial for a US basketball player began in Moscow.
The New York Times points out that Russia is linking the case of the merchant of death to the case of the man who died.
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