Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges in Russian Courtroom
Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court Thursday. She faces up to 10 years in a penal colony over the offenses.She told the court that she had not purposefully broken Russian law, according to Reuters who had a journalist in the courtroom.“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor.
But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said. “I’d like to give my testimony later,” Griner continued. “I need time to prepare.”Her next court appearance is on July 14.Griner’s guilty plea followed only hours after a Russian diplomat blasted the Biden administration for attempting to “torment hype” around the case, the New York Times reports.
The official, Sergei Ryabkov, said the publicity wasn’t helping Griner’s case.Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, said that the Russian government would be willing to negotiate around the case when a verdict was reached.
He said that until the end of the trial, “there are no formal procedurals grounds” to talk about the next steps.He added that Griner could be helped through “a serious reading by the American side of the signals that they received from Russia, from Moscow, through specialized channels,” the Times reports.
