august 4, 2022, 9:42 AM ET
August 4, 2022, 09:42 ETVideoAmerican basketball star Brittney Griner testified Thursday before being sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on charges of smuggling hashish oil into Russia.CreditCredit… Pool photo by Evgenia Novozhenina
Brittney Griner offered a glimpse into her personal history as she testified before a Russian court Thursday in a case in which she faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison. His legal team has asked for leniency in the case, arguing that he has contributed to Russian society and that he did not intend to break the law.
“I grew up in an ordinary house, an ordinary house in Houston, Texas, with my brothers, my mother and my father,” Ms Griner, 31, told the court. “My parents taught me two important things: one, take charge of your responsibilities and two, work hard for everything you achieve. That’s why I pleaded guilty to my charges.”
“I understand everything that has been said against me in the charges against me, but I had no intention of breaking Russian law,” added Ms. Griner, who was arrested in mid-February at a Moscow airport while on her way in Yekaterinburg. a Russian city near the Ural Mountains where he had been playing for a local team during the WNBA offseason.
Customs officials found two vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hashish oil in his luggage.
“I want the court to understand that it was an honest mistake that I made as I was rushing and having stress trying to recover from Covid and just trying to get back to my team,” he told the court on Thursday.
Ms. Griner also spoke about her time playing at UMMC Yekaterinburg.
“This hard work that was instilled in me by my parents is what had led me to play for the best Russian team,” he said. “I had no idea that the team, the city, the fans and my teammates would make such an impression on me during the six and a half years I spent in Yekaterinburg. It became my second home with my friends, my teammates and my fans that I would always interact with.”
The basketball star apologized to her teammates on the Russian team and the city of Yekaterinburg, her family and her WNBA teammates, including her Arizona team, the Phoenix Mercury.
Addressing the judge in the case, Anna S. Sotnikova, Ms. Griner said, “I made an honest mistake, and I hope your decision doesn’t end my life here.”
He has also alluded to the possibility of a prisoner exchange that would allow him to return to the United States, an issue that has been the subject of talks between Moscow and Washington, with pressure on President Biden to help him get his freedom .
“I know everyone keeps talking about political pawns and politics, but I hope that’s far from this room,” said Ms. Grinner.
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