KHIMKI ā American basketballer Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to drugs charges in a Russian court that could see her face 10 years in prison.
Griner said, however, she had not deliberately broken the law, a Reuters journalist reported from the courtroom..
āIād like to plead guilty, your honour, but there was no intent,ā Griner said, speaking English, which was then translated into Russian for the court. āI didnāt want to break the law. Iād like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare.ā
The next court hearing was scheduled for July 14.
Griner was detained in February at Moscowās Sheremetyevo airport with vape cartridges containing hashish oil, a substance illegal in the country, and has been kept in custody since.
In a handwritten note, Griner appealed to Biden directly earlier this week to step up U.S. efforts to bring her home.
āI realise you are dealing with so much, but please donāt forget about me and the other American detainees…ā Griner wrote. āPlease do all you can to bring us home.ā
Grinerās family have called on United States president Joe Biden to step up efforts to secure the WNBA playerās release.
Biden spoke to Grinerās wife on Wednesday, telling her he was working to have her released āas soon as possibleā, the White House said.
U.S. officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner ā or āBGā as she is known to basketball fans ā who they say has been wrongfully detained.
Grinerās detention has also prompted concerns that Moscow could use the two-time Olympic gold medallist to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian citizen in U.S. custody.
Russian authorities said there is no basis to consider Grinerās detention illegal and that the case against her is not political despite Moscowās fraught relations with United States over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
Russiaās deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that it was difficult to exchange prisoners with the United States and suggested Washington stop talking about the fate of Griner.
A centre for the Phoenix Mercury in the Womenās National Basketball Association, Griner had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Womenās Basketball Premier League to boost her income during the WNBA off-season, like several other American players.
The Russian foreign ministry said Griner could appeal her sentence or apply for clemency once a verdict has been delivered.
(Reuters)