Brittney Griner begged for a sentence that doesn't 'end my life' in Russia in final emotional plea at trial's end
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Rebecca Cohen,Meredith Cash
Aug 4, 2022, 22:25 IST
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool
Brittney Griner begged a judge to issue a lenient sentence that would not "end my life" in Russia.
On Thursday, the WNBA superstar was found guilty "with criminal intent" on drug-smuggling charges.
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As her trial concluded in Russia, Brittney Griner begged for a sentence that "doesn't end my life" in Russia in her closing arguments Thursday.
Despite repeated appeals for leniency, the WNBA superstar and two-time Olympic gold medalist was found guilty with criminal intent and sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.
"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, UMMC, the fans, and the city of Ekaterinburg for the mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought to them," Griner said in her closing statements. "I want to also apologize to my parents and my siblings, my Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."
"I never meant to hurt anybody," she continued. "I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here."
She continued: "I want to say again that I had no intent on breaking any Russian law. I had no intent. I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime. I hope that you take into account all of the documents, all of the character lists that everybody sent in on my behalf."
Griner has been held in a Russian prison since February when she was arrested at a Moscow airport for carrying vape cartridges in her luggage.
"This is my second home and all I want to do is just win championships and make them proud," Griner said of her Russian team.
Russia has yet to formally respond to the administration's offer, but suggested that they are interested in the swap if the US helps to free an additional convict — a Russian national who was tried, sentenced, and imprisoned for murder in Germany.
John Kirby, the Biden administration's National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, slammed Russia's counteroffer as "a bad faith attempt to avoid a very serious offer and proposal that the United States has put forward."
Moscow officials fired back that "loudspeaker diplomacy" wouldn't succeed in bringing the detained Americans home, signaling that the US and Russia were still quite far from agreeing to a deal.
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