KHIMKI, Russia –
American basketball star Brittney Griner has apologized to her family and team as a Russian court heard final arguments in her drug possession trial and said it expected to return a verdict Thursday.
In her closing remarks, Griner said she had no intention of breaking Russian law by taking vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil with her when she flew to Moscow in February.
“I made an honest mistake and I hope your decision doesn’t end my life,” she said.
Prosecutors asked the presiding judge to sentence Griner to 9½ years in prison.
The final day of his trial comes nearly six months after Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in a case that has reached the highest levels of US-Russian diplomacy, with Washington offering a prisoner swap. According to Russian law, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Although a conviction is almost certain, given that Russian courts rarely acquit defendants and Griner has admitted to having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in his luggage, judges have considerable leeway when it comes to of sentencing.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.
Prosecutors on Thursday asked a Russian court to convict American basketball star Brittney Griner and sentence her to 9½ years in prison during closing arguments in her drug possession trial.
The trial was coming to an end nearly six months after Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in a case that reached the highest levels of US-Russian diplomacy, with Washington offering a prisoner swap. According to Russian law, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Although a conviction is almost certain, given that Russian courts rarely acquit defendants and Griner has admitted to having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in his luggage, judges have considerable leeway when it comes to of sentencing.
Lawyers for center Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist pursued strategies to bolster Griner’s claim that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to rushed packing . They featured character witnesses from the Russian team she plays for during the WNBA offseason and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for the treatment of pain.
Griner’s attorney, Maria Blagovolina, argued that Griner inadvertently brought the cartridges with her to Russia and only used cannabis to treat her pain from injuries sustained during her career. She said she only used it in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal.
She pointed out that Griner was hastily packing after a grueling flight and suffering the consequences of COVID-19. Blagovolina also pointed out that the analysis of the cannabis found in Griner’s possession was flawed and violated legal procedures.
Blagovolina asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no criminal record and praising her role in “the development of Russian basketball”.
Another defense attorney, Alexander Boykov, also highlighted Griner’s role in leading his Yekaterinburg team to multiple championships, noting that she was loved and admired by her teammates.
He told the judge that a conviction would undermine Russia’s efforts to develop domestic sports and render Moscow’s call to depoliticize sports shallow.
Boykov added that even after her arrest, Griner won the sympathy of her guards and prison inmates, who supported her by shouting, “Brittney, you’ll be fine!” when she took walks in the prison.
Prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko insisted that Griner deliberately packaged the cannabis oil and he asked the court to fine Briner 1 million rubles (about $16,700) in addition to the prison sentence. .
It is not known when the verdict will be announced. If she is not released, attention will turn to the possibility of a prisoner swap.
Before her trial began in July, the State Department designated her as “wrongfully detained”, placing her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the chief negotiator of the government for the hostages.
Then last week, in an extraordinary move, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, would be released. .
The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest level of contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops to Ukraine more than five months ago. Direct outreach on Griner is at odds with US efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
People familiar with the proposal say it plans to trade Griner and Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a prison sentence in the United States. This underscores the public pressure the White House faced to secure Griner’s release.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that Russia responded in “bad faith” to the US government’s offer, a counter-offer that US officials do not consider serious. She declined to elaborate.
Russian officials scoffed at US statements on the case, saying they showed disrespect for Russian law. They remained unmoved, urging Washington to discuss the issue through “quiet diplomacy without disclosing speculative information.”
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