Titular05 Ago. 2022
A Russian court has found U.S. women’s basketball superstar Brittney Griner guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced her to nine years in prison in a penal colony. During closing arguments Thursday, Griner pleaded guilty to loading e-cigarette cartridges containing a small amount of cannabis oil in luggage she was carrying at a Moscow airport, where she was arrested by Russian customs authorities last February. The athlete herself claimed that cannabis was prescribed for medical reasons.
Brittney Griner: “I understand everything that is said against me and the charges against me; That’s why I pleaded guilty. But he had no intention of breaking any Russian law. […] I made an unintentional mistake, and I hope the mistake [del tribunal] don’t end my life here.”
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, described the sentence of nine years in prison against Griner as “unacceptable” and promised to work so that the athlete can return to her country. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday morning that the Russian government is willing to discuss a prisoner exchange involving Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges since 2018.
