International
Brittney Griner pleads guilty to 'drug trafficking' in Russia
"I intend to plead guilty to all charges." That's how Brittney Griner, two-time Olympic champion, confessed today to the court where she was heard, in Russia. The 31-year-old American basketball player was arrested in February at Moscow airport for possession of cannabis oil. The player stressed that she never had “intention to violate Russian laws” and explained that it was her carelessness and her haste in packing that caused the situation. “I packed my bags in a hurry and the packages ended up accidentally in my bag”, said the athlete, who risks 10 years in prison.
Brittney was twice Olympic basketball champion – Photo: DR
Brittney was arrested in February 2022 when agents at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport found vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil in her suitcase. According to the BBC, Griner had gone to Russia to play out of season, something he did as a “2nd job”, to earn some more money. According to the BBC, in Russia basketball players can earn three times as much as in the US. Brittney is openly gay and was, in fact, the first openly female WNBA player to receive a Nike sponsorship.
In a letter released by his family on Independence Day, July 4, Griner confessed his fear of Biden: “Sitting here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or anything else I've accomplished, I'm terrified at the thought of staying here forever," wrote the two-time Olympic basketball champion. “I know very well that you have a lot to deal with, but please don't forget about me and the other American prisoners. Please do everything you can to get us home,” Brittney pleaded.
The case has already led to diplomatic spats between Russia and the United States, with the Kremlin denying it has any US hostages, criticizing the “media noise” around Griner. Sergei Riabkov, deputy foreign minister, warned that the "public exaggeration" of the Americans does not help in the negotiation for the eventual exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Washington. ”
“Why should we make an exception for a foreign national? [Griner is like] hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens, who were convicted of transporting hashish” – Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, told NBC
“We can't call her a hostage. She violated Russian law and is now being prosecuted," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told NBC. “Why should we make an exception for a foreign national? [Griner is like] hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens, who were convicted of transporting hashish.”
Brittney Griner has been in preventive detention since February 2022 and will return to court on July 14.
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[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 21st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “Say What? Lisbon” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura directed the documentary “Pacientes” and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.
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