Russia is parading WNBA star Brittney Griner for cameras in 'an attempt to troll' US, expert says

• Brittney Griner's Russian trial on drug smuggling charges is set to begin July 1.
• The WNBA superstar has been "paraded" in front of cameras several times ahead of her proceedings.

Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four months.

The WNBA superstar was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17, when customs agents claimed they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Since then, she's been in Russian custody awaiting trial — and she's finally received a date.

News that Griner's trial is scheduled to begin July 1 comes after the courts extended her detainment on at least three separate occasions. And one expert who has navigated several hostage situations thinks the Russians are using every opportunity they can "to parade her for cameras."

"I'm concerned about the way she's being paraded," Jonathan Franks, who helped negotiate for the freedom of fellow wrongfully detained American Trevor Reed, told Insider. "It's inappropriate and not indicative of a serious court process."

"The way that they're parading her is one of the principal reasons I believe the whole case against her is nonsense," he added.

Russia has made a show of escorting Griner to and from hearings. In her most recent public appearance, the 6-foot-9 Olympian was surrounded by several guards wearing protective vests and a police dog, all while she was handcuffed to the shortest of the officials in the group.

On Twitter, Franks questioned the purpose of devoting so many resources to transporting a person from one room to another:

He also noted that while they've "paraded Brittney" around, the Russians have notably avoided showing any proof of the drugs they claimed to have confiscated from her luggage.

"It does seem to me that these court appearances are more about walking her past Western television cameras so that they can then go out and do what they always do," Franks said. "To get everybody distracted by a shiny thing."

"It's just an attempt to get leverage and also an attempt to troll," he added.

Legal expert Aron Solomon, who serves as the Chief Legal Analyst for Esquire Digital, offered similar analysis. He warned that Griner is facing "a kangaroo court" and that "this case is already decided" against her so that Russia can use her as a "political pawn."

Given Russia's 99% conviction rate, Griner's most realistic path to freedom is via "a prisoner swap" negotiated between the US and Russian governments. And the bigger the spectacle surrounding Griner, Solomon says, "the more the US should be motivated — hopefully in part by public pressure — to act" and the more valuable Griner becomes to the Russians.

"Brittney Griner is simply a pawn in a political game — a political prisoner waiting for diplomats from both sides of the former Cold War to find a fair exchange," Solomon said.

Franks has also identified a less strategic, more sinister motive for the Russians to put Griner on public display; a 6-foot-9 Black woman is "kind of rare in Russia." Given the state's hostile stance towards LGBTQ+ people and their lack of legal protections against discrimination, her status as an out and proud lesbian makes her a target for ridicule.

"It's almost like they're putting her out there to be guffawed at," Franks said. "I think that's shameful and says it all about this regime and their system.

"[The US government] just need to do whatever it takes to bring her home and [fellow American detainee] Paul Whelan as fast as possible," he later added. "I've already explained my particular concern about Brittney as a Black LGBT woman. I don't trust that regime with LGBT people.

"It really does worry me."