Brittney Griner, a US basketball star, admitted guilt to drug charges in a Russian court but said she didn't do it on purpose.
The gold medalist from the Olympics was held in February at a nearby airport after it was claimed that hemp oil vape units were discovered in her luggage.
She explained to the court in Khimki, "I was in a haste packing and the cartridges accidentally landed up in my luggage.
Her trial started last week on allegations that may land her in jail for ten years.
Earlier, Griner's wife urged Joe Biden to take "whatever action is required" to achieve her release. Cherelle Griner was informed by Mr. Biden that he was trying to liberate her as soon as possible.
The 31-year-old basketball player, who is charged with narcotics possession and trafficking, previously wrote to the president expressing her fear that "[s]he may stay here forever."
The US has been cautioned by Russian government
representatives not to "make noise in public about the case."
According to deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, "the hype and working
on the public, with all the enthusiasm for this genre among modern politicians,
today only complicates" the legal process.
"Please accept my guilty plea, your honour. But
no intention was present. I wanted to avoid breaking the law, "In English,
Brittney Griner addressed the court. She stated that she would want to deliver
her testimony later but needed more time to prepare while being restrained and
dressed in a red T-shirt and pants.
With the WNBA franchise Phoenix Mercury, Griner is
one of the most successful players in the women's professional league in the
US. Along with two Olympic gold medals, she has won WNBA and Euroleague
championships. She had gone to Russia in the off-season to play club
basketball, and she has played for the EuroLeague team UMMC Ekaterinburg since
2014.
Her high-profile arrest at the Sheremetyevo airport
outside of Moscow occurred a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, despite the
fact that cannabis oil is prohibited in that country.
It took many months for the Biden administration to
give her case attention despite the dire condition of US-Russian relations.
According to a spokesman for the US National Security Council, she was unjustly
imprisoned by Russia under "intolerable circumstances."
President Biden's letter was given to Griner at the hearing on Thursday. According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's tweet, "We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other unfairly incarcerated Americans are reunited with their loved ones. "Whelan is incarcerated for 16 years after his family dismissed the snooping allegations against him.
Although John Garamendi, a member of the US
Congress, said last month that the conflict may worsen the situation, Russia
has disputed that the player's incarceration is related to the tense diplomatic
ties with the US. We don't want Ms. Griner to end up being used as a pawn in
the current global political conflict.
Even if Brittney Griner receives a prison sentence,
it has been said that Russia may be willing to swap her or Paul Whelan for a
prominent Russian prisoner in a US facility, such as weapons dealer Viktor
Bout. Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death," was apprehended in a US
sting operation in Thailand and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Earlier, Cherelle Griner stated during a gathering
sponsored by her wife's Phoenix Mercury team: "I'm angry that my wife
hasn't been able to contact me, our family, or our friends for 140 days. I'm
angry that my wife won't receive justice."