An emotional Brittney Griner apologized for her actions as her drug possession trial came to a close in Russia on Thursday, with a prosecutor urging the US basketball star to be sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison in a case that reached the highest levels of Russia-US Diplomacy.
With a judge set to issue a verdict later in the day and a conviction almost certain, Griner made a final appeal to the court, saying he had no intention of breaking the law by carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges when he flew to Moscow last year. February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for the mistake I made and the embarrassment I caused them,” Griner said, his voice cracking. “I also want to apologize to my parents, my brothers, the Phoenix Mercury organization at home, the amazing women of the WNBA. , and my amazing partner at home.”
He called it “an honest mistake,” adding: “I hope your decision doesn’t end my life.”
Under Russian law, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. but judges have considerable latitude over sentencing.
Although a conviction is virtually certain, given that Russian courts rarely acquit defendants and Griner has admitted to having cannabis oil vapor cartridges in his luggage, judges have a lot of leeway over sentencing.
Attorneys for the Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist have pursued strategies to bolster Griner’s claim that he had no criminal intent and that the containers ended up in his luggage due to hasty packing. They have presented character testimony from the Russian team she plays for in the WNBA offseason and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed cannabis for pain treatment.
Unintentionally carried cartridges
Griner’s lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, argued that Griner brought the cartridges with her to Russia without knowing it and only used cannabis to treat pain from injuries she suffered during her race. He said he only used it in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal.
He stressed that Griner was packing in a hurry after a grueling flight and suffering from the effects of COVID-19. Blagovolina also noted that the analysis of the cannabis in Griner’s possession was flawed and violated legal procedures.
Blagovolina asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that he had no criminal record and praising his role in “the development of Russian basketball.”
Another defense attorney, Alexander Boykov, also highlighted Griner’s role in leading his Yekaterinburg team to multiple championships, noting that she was loved and admired by her teammates.
He told the judge that a conviction would undermine Russia’s efforts to develop domestic sports and make Moscow’s call to depoliticize sports sound superficial.
Boykov added that even after her arrest, Griner won the sympathy of both her guards and inmates, who supported her by yelling, “Brittney, everything’s going to be okay!” when he was going for a walk around the prison.
The prosecutor is asking for a fine in addition to the prison sentence
Prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko insisted that Griner packaged the cannabis oil deliberately and asked the court to fine him 1 million rubles (about US$16,700) in addition to the prison sentence.
It is not clear when the verdict will be announced. If he is not released, attention will focus on the high-risk possibility of a prisoner exchange.
Before her trial began in July, the State Department designated her as “wrongfully detained” and moved her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the chief hostage negotiator. of the government
Then last week, in an extraordinary move, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and urged him to accept a deal by which Griner and Paul Whelan, a American jailed in Russia on a espionage conviction, would be released. .
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The Biden administration says it has made a “substantial offer” to bring home two American detainees from Russia, including basketball star Brittney Griner.
The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level contact known between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops to Ukraine more than five months ago. Direct disclosure about Griner is at odds with US efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
People familiar with the proposal say it envisions swapping Griner and Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a prison sentence in the United States. It underscores the public pressure the White House has faced to secure Griner’s release.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Russia has made a “bad faith” response to the US government’s offer, a counteroffer that US officials do not consider serious. She refused to elaborate.
Russian officials have scoffed at the US statements on the case, saying they show a lack of respect for Russian law. They remained poker-faced, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without the release of speculative information.”