US basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced in Russia to 9 years in prison for "drug possession". Considered one of the best basketball players in the world, she was arrested in February upon her arrival in Moscow . The young woman is accused of drug possession after cannabis oil was found in her luggage .
"I made a mistake in good faith, I had no intention of breaking the law," the basketball champion said in the court of Khimki. The basketball player, who appeared behind bars handcuffed , asked "sorry to my team, my family. I didn't want to hurt anyone. The only thing I want is to go back to them".
"They call me a political pawn , but I hope that politics will stay out of this courtroom" added Griner, pleading with the judges not to "put an end to his life" in the final appeal before the sentence in Russia.
Twice Olympic champion with the US, the 31-year-old American basketball player had pleaded guilty , but claimed to have inadvertently brought the substance to Russia, rejecting the charge of drug trafficking. The prosecution, who asked for a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence, instead claims that Griner knowingly hid the cannabis oil in his luggage.
In the midst of the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Russia and the West, the story of Brittney Griner therefore takes on geopolitical contours, as Moscow and Washington discuss the possible exchange of prisoners : an exchange in which the American basketball champion could be part.
"American citizen Brittney Griner received a sentence that once again reminds us of what the world already knows: Russia unfairly holds Brittney", the words of US President Joe Biden . "It is unacceptable and I ask Russia to release her immediately so that she can reunite with wife, friends and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible path to get Brittney and Paul Whelan home as soon as possible. "
(Unioneonline / vl)