Brittney Griner’s trial continued in a Russian court Wednesday where the WNBA star testified that she did not intentionally smuggle the drugs into the country.
Griner said, “I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bag.”
The basketball player was detained at the Moscow airport in February after authorities found cannabis-derived oil cartridges in her bag.
On Wednesday, Griner appeared in court, handcuffed, and testified that when she stopped on February 7 at Sheremetyevo airport, she was forced to sign documents that she did not understand.
She then said that she was using Google Translate on her phone to understand the documents but still didn’t fully understand. After she was taken to a room and was asked to sign more documents, her phone was taken away, not understanding what was going on. None of her rights were read at the time.
Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, alleges her search and arrest were “improper.” Griner’s other lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said Griner “explained to the court that she knows and respects Russian laws and never intended to break them.”
She pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this month, hoping it would lead to a less severe sentence, but the U.S. believes she is still being wrongfully detained and being used as a pawn in the Ukraine invasion.
She faces up to 10 years in prison.
Griner’s trial is expected to end in early August.
