Griner was speaking at the second hearing of her trial on drug charges that could have sent her to prison for up to 10 years, days after she urged US President Joe Biden to secure her release. read more “I would like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, speaking quietly in English, which was then translated into Russian for the court. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “I would like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,” he added. The next hearing was set for July 14. Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, told reporters they had hoped for a more lenient sentence. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia, and has been held since then. In a handwritten note, she appealed to Biden earlier this week to step up US efforts to bring her home. U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained in March at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, is escorted before a court in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia, July 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina read more “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget me and the other American prisoners…” Griner wrote. “Please do whatever you can to bring us home.” Biden spoke with Griner’s wife on Wednesday, telling her he was working to get her released “as soon as possible,” the White House said. read more US officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner – or “BG” as she is known to basketball fans – who they say was wrongfully detained. Her case has also raised concerns that Moscow could use her as leverage to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian citizen in US custody. Russian authorities say there is no basis to consider Griner’s detention illegal and that the case against her is not political despite Moscow’s strained relations with the United States over Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday that it was difficult to exchange prisoners with the United States and suggested Washington stop talking about Griner’s fate. read more Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury in the National Women’s Basketball Association, had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier Women’s Basketball League to supplement her income during the WNBA offseason, like several other U.S. players. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Griner could appeal her sentence or ask for clemency once the verdict is handed down. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters. edited by Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Angus MacSwan and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
