KHIMKI, Russia –
An emotional Brittney Griner apologized on Thursday for her actions as her drug possession trial drew to a close in Russia on Thursday, and a prosecutor urged the US basketball star to be found guilty and sentenced to 9 years and a half in prison in a case that has reached the highest levels of American-Russian diplomacy.
With a judge set to deliver a verdict later in the day and conviction almost certain, Griner made one final appeal to the court and said she had no intention of breaking the law by bringing cartridges. of vaping with cannabis oil when she flew to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city (of Yekaterinburg) for the mistake I made and the embarrassment I caused them,” Griner said. , voice broken. “I also want to apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing wife at home.”
She called it “an honest mistake”, adding: “I hope your decision doesn’t end my life”.
Under Russian law, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but judges have considerable latitude in sentencing.
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 hailing 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 known 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 refused 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.”