On Thursday, a Russian court docket discovered Brittney Griner responsible of tried drug smuggling and possession. Based on CNN, the responsible verdict says Brittney had felony intent when she tried to enter the nation with lower than 1 gram of hashish oil in her baggage.
Earlier than the conviction, Russian prosecutors requested the court docket to think about giving the WNBA star 9.5 years of their closing. Shortly after information of the decision broke, Brittney’s legal professionals confirmed the Russian court docket obliged the prosecutors’ request. In consequence, she was sentenced to 9 years in a penal colony, per The New York Occasions.
Brittney Apologized & Denied Legal Intent Prior To Verdict
This verdict comes after Brittney pled responsible in early July. On the time, she mentioned, “I’d prefer to plead responsible, your honor, however there was no intent, I didn’t break the regulation.” She once more spoke to the court docket throughout Thursday’s closing arguments.
“I by no means meant to harm anyone, I by no means meant to place in jeopardy the Russian inhabitants, I by no means meant to interrupt any legal guidelines right here,” Brittney mentioned. “I made an trustworthy mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t finish my life right here.”
As beforehand reported, customs officers detained Brittney in February at a Moscow airport. They’d discovered two vape cartidges containing cannabis oil in her baggage. In Might, the USA declared that Brittney was “wrongfully detained,” however that did little to help her case.
Issues that Russia is utilizing Brittney as a political prisoner bubbled virtually instantly after the information of her arrest. Nonetheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied these allegations. Talking via a rep named Dmitry Peskov, the president mentioned Brittney “violated Russian regulation” relating to cannabis oil, and the case is “not about being a hostage.”