Brittney Griner is said to have had 0.5 grams of hashish oil with her when she was checked at the Russian airport. That’s why the US basketball player has been in prison since February. You face up to ten years in a penal colony. Now she pleads guilty in the process, possibly a first step in seeking clemency.
US basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been jailed in Russia, has pleaded guilty to a drug offense in a court near Moscow. This was reported by Russian news agencies from the courtroom in Khimki in the Moscow region, citing a translation.
Griner also explained that she did not want to commit a crime, but acted in great haste when packing, as the Interfax agency reported from the room. She was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February.
Griner has been in custody for four and a half months, which was last extended until December 20th. The Olympic champion is accused of possession of drugs, her trial began last Friday. The trial is scheduled to resume on July 14. She faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. Griner is said to have had vape cartridges and hash oil with her when her luggage was checked in Sheremetyevo in February. It is said to have been only 0.5 grams.
Griner also sent a letter to US President Joe Biden asking for help. Washington criticizes that Griner is wrongly detained. Moscow, on the other hand, rejects the accusation that the trial against Griner was politically motivated. Before the day of the trial this Thursday, Russia criticized the “public hype” of the government in Washington. According to Russian news agencies, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the excitement surrounding Griner “distracts from the case” and “disrupts”. On Wednesday, US President Biden declared the release of the US citizen imprisoned for drug smuggling in Russia to be a “priority” and spoke to Griner’s wife on the phone. Ryabkov said the US should rather take into account “the signals coming from Russia.”
The offense of the 31-year-old is a “serious breach of law,” said a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry. At the same time, he said that after a conviction, Griner was free to contest the judge’s verdict or to write a petition for clemency. Anyone in Russia who applies for a pardon from the Russian President must also admit their guilt.
Since 2015, Griner has played for the UMMC Yekaterinburg team in the Urals. She won the Euroleague four times with the top club. Griner is considered one of the best basketball players in the American women’s professional league WNBA. With the Phoenix Mercury she won the championship in 2014, with the US national team she won two gold medals at the World Championships in addition to two Olympic victories. Many professional players like Griner are not only active in their home leagues, but also abroad, including in Russia so far.
