Activists gathered outside the Russian consulate in New York City on Wednesday, June 29, holding a vigil ahead of the trial of American basketball player Brittney Griner, which was due to begin in Russia on Friday.Griner was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after Russian officials said they had found vape cartridges bearing traces of hash oil in her luggage. She had been in Russia to play for a team during the WNBA’s off-season.Russian state-owned news agency TASS said Griner’s trial would begin on July 1. Its report was accompanied by video showing Griner at a Khimki city court, near Moscow, for a preliminary hearing. She did not speak in the footage.Footage posted by Ben Von Klemperer showed speaker Tamika Mallory, from campaign group Until Freedom, speaking to the crowd outside the consulate.“We demand that America is responsible for bringing Brittney Griner home no matter what we have to do,” she can be heard saying as the crowd applauds. Credit: Ben Von Klemperer via Storyful