Griner says she had no intention to break law
(4 Aug 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE ++PLEASE NOTE: AP IS OPERATING IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON ALL REPORTING RELATED TO THE ONGOING MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE++ ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE Khimki, Russia - 4 August 2022 1. Various of hearing beginning, US basketball star Brittney Griner seen in courtroom cage 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Brittney Griner, American basketball star: "I plead guilty to my charges. I understand everything that's being said against me, the charges that are against me. And that is why I plead guilty. But I had no intent to break any Russian laws." 3. Mid of representatives of U.S. Embassy to Russia sitting in courtroom 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brittney Griner, American basketball star: "I want to apologise to my teammates, my club, the fans, and the city of Yekat (meaning Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on the team." 5. Wide of Griner during her last plea in courtroom 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Brittney Griner, American basketball star: "I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to put in jeopardy the rest of population. I never meant to break any laws." 7. Wide of participants of hearing, Griner being shown a document through bars STORYLINE: American basketball star Brittney Griner has pleaded "guilty" in a Russian court to cannabis possession charges. "I plead guilty to the charges. I understand everything that's being said against me, the charges that are against me," she told the court. "And that is why I plead guilty. But I had no intent to break any Russian law." Closing arguments in Griner's trial took place Thursday, nearly six months after her arrest at a Moscow airport and subsequent detention in a case that has reached the highest levels of U.S.-Russia diplomacy. Although a conviction appears almost certain, given that Russian courts rarely acquit defendants and Griner has acknowledged having vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, judges have considerable latitude on sentencing. Russian prosecutors have asked a court outside Moscow to sentence Griner to 9 1/2 years in prison. An emotional Griner apologized in her final appeal to the court. She said she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil when she flew to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg. “I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of Yekat (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” Griner said, her voice cracking Lawyers for the two-time Olympic gold medalist have pursued strategies to bolster Griner's contention that she had no criminal intent and that the canisters ended up in her luggage due to hasty packing. They have presented character witnesses from the Russian team that she plays for in the WNBA off-season and written testimony from a doctor who said he prescribed her cannabis for pain treatment. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: [email protected] (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
