Brittney Griner, the Olympic medalist US female basketball player, who was detained in Russia by the Russian police at Sheremetyevo International Airport in the capital Moscow on February 17, was put on trial in the city of Himki.
Griner, who denied the allegations of drug smuggling in his previous interrogations and at the hearing, admitted the drug charges in today’s hearing, but denied that he had deliberately violated the law. Griner said that he used drugs, but he had no intention of trading drugs by carrying drugs in his suitcase, adding that he accidentally put the drugs in his suitcase when it was hastily collected.
“I want to plead guilty, Your Honor. But I had no intention of breaking the law. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner told the court in English. Stating that he wanted to give his statement later, Griner said that he needed time to prepare.
WITNESSES HEARD
The court also postponed the next hearing to 14 July while listening to 2 more witnesses who testified that Griner was carrying drugs.
RUSSIA CAN USE FOR EXCHANGE
It has been discussed whether Griner, who is on trial in Russia, will be used in a possible prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA. The Russian media wrote that the US basketball player Griner will be exchanged with the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was caught in the United States in 2012 for providing aid to terrorist organizations and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. This possibility was asked today by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. Stating that the legal process must be completed for such an exchange to take place, Ryabkov said, “It seems that the necessary legal proceedings have not been completed yet. “There is no reason to talk about other steps until this step is completed,” he said.
WRITTEN A LETTER TO BIDEN
On the other hand, Griner wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden last May, demanding to be rescued from Russia. Biden, on the other hand, stated that he was working to ensure Griner’s release as soon as possible.
ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PLAYERS IN THE WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE IN THE USA
With WNBA team Phoenix Mercury, Griner is one of the most successful players in the US women’s professional league. In the off-season, he went to Russia to play club basketball and has been playing for EuroLeague team UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014.
(UAV)