Jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession during her trial in Moscow, but said she had no intention of committing a crime.
Representatives for Griner confirmed to The Associated Press that the WNBA star pleaded guilty to drug possession charges.
Russian news reports quoted Griner as saying through an interpreter at the court hearing that he had acted unintentionally because he was packing in a hurry.
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Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after vaporizer canisters containing cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted of large-scale drug transportation.
The trial of the Phoenix Mercury star and two-time Olympic gold medalist began last week amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure his freedom nearly five months after his arrest.
Before Thursday’s hearing, Russian police escorted Griner, handcuffed and dressed in a bright red T-shirt and sweatpants, into the courtroom, past a crowd of journalists.
Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she spoke with Griner in the courtroom and shared a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.
“He’s eating well, he can read books and, given the circumstances, he’s doing just fine,” Rood said of Griner.
“I would like to re-emphasize the commitment of the US government at the highest level to bring Ms. Griner and all wrongfully detained US citizens home safely, as well as the commitment of the US Embassy. … in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all American citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rood said.
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the US description of Briner as “unjustly detained” and warned that “attempts by the US side to make noise in public… do not help the practical solution of the problems”.
The White House said Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her he is doing everything he can to get the athlete released as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which he said he feared he would never return home.
Washington has not made public its strategy in the case, and the United States may have little leverage with Moscow due to strong animosity over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The State Department has designated Griner as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s top hostage negotiator.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian imprisoned in the US, Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about it. other steps”.
He warned that criticism from the United States, including a description of Griner as wrongfully detained and disparaging comments about the Russian judicial system, “make it difficult to engage in a detailed discussion of any potential exchange.”
“The persistence with which the US administration… describes those who received prison sentences for serious crimes and those awaiting the end of the investigation and judicial verdicts as ‘wrongly detained’ reflects Washington’s refusal to have a vision sober from the outside world,” Ryabkov snapped.
Griner’s trial was postponed after it began last week because two scheduled witnesses failed to show up. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and her detention was authorized until December 20, suggesting the process could take months.
Although Griner’s supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for the United States to take action soared after the first day of the trial.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, one of America’s most prominent black activists, this week called on Biden to host a prayer meeting with Griner, saying, “Four months is too long for this to have gone on, and I hope the president will act.” consequently. pleas to return home.
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An organization called Win With Black Women sent Biden a letter saying that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “called Cherelle Griner, Brittney’s wife, publicly assuring her and stating that Brittney’s safe return was a matter of personal priority; however, he is concerned that the rhetoric does not seem to align with the actions taken to date. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney home quickly.”
The Russian media has repeatedly speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed “the merchant of death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the US for conspiracy to kill citizens. Americans and provide assistance to a terrorist organization.
Russia has campaigned for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged crime and Bout’s global deals in deadly weapons could make such an exchange unpalatable to Washington.
Others have suggested she could be traded along with Paul Whelan, a former Navy and security director serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for an espionage conviction that the United States has repeatedly described as staged.
Russia has shown no signs of backing down.
“This is a serious crime, confirmed by indisputable evidence… Attempts to present the case as if the American had been illegally detained do not stand up,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Wednesday.
“The law has been broken, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner’s addiction, which is, by the way, punishable in some US states, are inappropriate in this case,” he said.
© 2022 The Canadian Press