Brittney Griner pleads guilty to pot charges in Russia

Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to cannabis charges in a Russian court on Thursday, almost five months after the WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at an airport near Moscow. Griner, who was found wrongly imprisoned by the US State Department, now faces up to 10 years in prison as punishment for her conviction.

“I want to plead guilty, Your Honor,” Griner said in English, which was then translated into Russian for the court. “But there was no intention. I didn’t want to break the law.”

“I want to make my statement later. I need time to prepare,” she added, according to a Reuters report.

Griner, the star center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was arrested outside of Moscow in February. In March, after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in an unprovoked attack, Russian authorities announced that Griner had been arrested while passing through customs at an airport outside Moscow.

Her arrest has sparked an international outcry from celebrities, politicians, family members and other supporters, many of whom believe Griner’s detention and trial are being used by Russia as political leverage while the conflict in Ukraine continues. Griner’s supporters hope that their guilty plea, combined with their status as wrongfully imprisoned in the eyes of the US government, will entitle them to a prisoner swap between Russia and the US

Arrested for less than a gram of weed

Griner’s trial on charges of importing vape cartridges containing less than a gram of cannabis oil began in a courtroom near Moscow on Friday. According to a report by Russia’s state news agency TASS, prosecutors argued that Griner placed the vape cartridges, which contained a total of 0.7 grams of cannabis oil, in a backpack and suitcase and intended to import them into the country.

Griner’s lawyers, Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina, said they expect the trial to conclude sometime in August. Griner could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison under Russian law, although her legal team hopes her guilty plea will result in court clemency. Boykov found that samples taken from Griner and subjected to laboratory analysis did not reflect the presence of drugs in her system.

“She was clean and she was tested,” the attorney said.

In a statement released to the media, Griner’s legal team said it was the WNBA star’s decision to plead guilty to the charges she faced, adding that the move “is an example of boldly adhering to.” be”.

“She has chosen to take full responsibility for her actions, knowing that she is a role model for many people,” the statement said. “Given the nature of their case, the insignificant amount of BG’s substance and personality, and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes the lawsuit will be considered by the court as a mitigating circumstance and that there will be no aggravated sentence .”

“We, as her defense, explained to her the possible consequences,” Blagovolina told reporters. “Brittney stressed that she committed the crime through negligence, preparing to board a plane bound for Russia in a hurry, and having no intention of breaking Russian law. Of course, we hope that this fact, in combination with the evidence of the defense, will be taken into account in the verdict and that it will be mild.”

Griner gets response from Biden

On Wednesday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden had received a handwritten letter from Griner asking the president to help get her released from prison in Russia. The administration also noted that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had spoken to Griner’s wife, Cherrelle Griner, on the phone, and that the President had written a reply to Griner’s letter. After the call, Cherrelle Griner said she was “grateful” to receive the call from Biden.

“While I will remain concerned and blunt until[Brittney Griner]returns home, I feel confident in knowing that the President read my wife’s letter and took the time to respond to it,” she said. “I know BG will find comfort in knowing she has not been forgotten.”

After Thursday’s hearing, Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow, told reporters she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared Biden’s response letter.

“She eats well, she can read books, and given the circumstances, she’s fine,” Rood said of Griner. “I would like to reiterate the U.S. government’s commitment at the highest level to bring Ms. Griner and all wrongfully detained U.S. citizens home safely, as well as the U.S. Embassy in Moscow’s commitment to looking after the interests of and her to protect all US citizens who are arrested or detained in Russia.”

Griner’s next hearing in the trial is scheduled for July 14.