WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been in Russian custody for more than four months, pleaded guilty on Thursday to drug charges that carry a potential 10-year prison sentence, according to a Reuters reporter in the courtroom.
Griner was detained in February at the Moscow airport for allegedly carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges in her suitcase.
Speaking through an interpreter in court, Griner said, “I’d like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” She also asked to give testimony at a later date because she “need[s] time to prepare.”
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Her next court hearing is scheduled for July 14.
Shortly after the hearing, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov appeared to shoot down speculation of a potential prisoner swap, telling RIA Novosti there’s no “basis” to discuss any next steps until the “necessary judicial procedures” are completed. He scoffed at the Biden administration labeling Griner “wrongfully detained,” claiming it showed America’s “unwillingness to perceive the world around them adequately.”
Griner’s guilty plea comes as pressure has been mounting on President Joe Biden to bring her home. On Thursday, Elizabeth Rood, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, delivered a letter from Biden to Griner in court.
“I was able to speak to Ms. Griner in the courtroom,” she told reporters outside court. “She said that she is eating well. She is able to read books. Under the circumstances, she is doing well.”
Read it at Reuters
