Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian courtroom on Thursday, as the wrangling over the American basketball stars fate shifted increasingly to the diplomatic arena a daunting prospect for Ms. Griners supporters amid Americas rift with Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Appearing before a judge outside the Russian capital on the second day of her trial, Ms. Griner said she had unintentionally carried a banned substance into the country because she had packed in a hurry. The Russian authorities say they found vape cartridges with 0.7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage when Ms. Griner arrived in February to play basketball, and she has been detained ever since, facing 10 years in prison in a penal colony.
Id like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didnt want to break the law, Ms. Griner said in English, which was then translated into Russian, according to a Reuters reporter in the courtroom.
Ms. Griner told the court she would say more on the next day of her trial, scheduled for July 14. She is charged with illegal drug possession and with smuggling a significant amount.
By pleading guilty, Ms. Griner has potentially accelerated her cases conclusion.
A guilty verdict had been an all but a foregone conclusion in a Russian legal system that heavily favors the prosecution. Her best hope, experts say, is that the Biden administration will secure her freedom by releasing a Russian held in the United States in exchange a negotiation that Russian officials have said they would engage in only after the formalities of the trial are over.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/world/europe/brittney-griner-russia.html