The American basketball player and Olympic and world champion Brittney Griner, accused of drug possession and smuggling, admitted responsibility for the presence of cannabis among his belongings, but criticized the irregularities committed during his detention in Russia.
“I had no intention of introducing anything illegal, but I take responsibility for what they found in my bags”Griner said at a court hearing in Khimki, Moscow region.
The player, who appeared again sitting inside a cell, stressed thate uses cannabis as an analgesic to relieve pain in his knees, but never during the competition.
Also admitted to knowing that it is illegal to bring cannabis into Russian territory, but cited tiredness and rush to pack as an excuse.
“During the search I myself did not expect to see that preparation. He had no desire to violate any Russian law. I think I rushed it, I wasn’t completely cured yet (from covid-19), that’s why I put everything in the bag,” he said.
In his defense, he argued that, although the US recommended not to travel to Russia, she flew to Moscow so as not to let down her team, the Yekaterinburg UGMK.
“I admit my guilt for what happened, although I did not want to do it. I understand the accusation, but I didn’t want to save anything“, he pointed.
In turn, he denounced that last February the officials and customs agents of the Sheremétevo airport they forced him to sign documents without explanation and the content of which he did not know because they were written in Russian, without the presence of a lawyer.
He also assured that, after he communicated with his wife and agent in the US, her mobile phone was seized and her rights were not read to her, after which she was handcuffed.
The The trial will continue on August 2 with the interrogation of the specialist who conducted the examination of the cannabis found in Griner’s suitcases.
At the time, the US State Department condemned Griner’s arrest, while his lawyers informed the court that cannabis was prescribed to his client for medicinal use.
Griner wrote earlier in the month a letter to US President Joe Biden, in which she was “terrified” of having to remain in Russia forever and asked for his help in freeing her and other Americans held abroad.
Nextthe White House reported that Biden has taken the release of the WNBA player “personally”.
The 31-year-old athlete double world and Olympic champion with her country, was detained on February 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetvo airport after customs officials found cannabis oil in her suitcases.
Next, hebasketball player was arrested for drug possession and smuggling and has been in pretrial detention ever since.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov He denied that the criminal process against the basketball player has a political background.
According to the local press, Russia and the United States could be negotiating the exchange of the player for the Russian arms dealer Víktor But, known as the “merchant of death” and serving a sentence in an American prison.
But is serving 25 years in prison, among other things, for conspiring to kill US citizens and sell weapons to the former Colombian FARC guerrilla organization.
Recently, Russia and the US exchanged American student Trevor Reedsentenced to nine years in prison for resisting arrest, by the Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced in the US to 20 years for drug smuggling.
