Terrified of ending her days in a prison in Russia, and having written to the American president, Brittney Griner nevertheless pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial.
As a reminder, the player was arrested at a Russian airport on February 17, accused of transporting cannabis oil in electronic cigarette cartridges, which is illegal there. She faces ten years in prison.
In response to this affair, the White House initially kept a low profile, attempting a discreet diplomatic solution, before raising its voice and asserting that Russia was “wrongly detaining Brittney Griner”. A statement that did not please Moscow, which reacted through the voice of the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“If an American citizen has been arrested for smuggling drugs, and she does not deny it, then it should be judged according to Russian, local laws, not those passed in San Francisco, New York and Washington »explains Maria Zakharova.
Then she added that “If drugs are legalized in the United States, in a number of states, and it’s been around for a long time, then the whole country is going to be addicted. EtcHowever, this does not mean that all other countries should follow the same path”.
An exchange of prisoners is sometimes mentioned, with a view to a possible return to the United States of Brittney Grinner, but the Russian authorities have indicated that no discussion will be possible before the end of the trial. Except that no date for the end of the trial has been set for the moment and Russia can keep the player in detention until December 20.
–
