brittney griner who pleaded guilty last week to drug charges. members of the press were attacked inside the courthouse, the first time since the trial began. griner s attorney submitted 20 character references from charities and sports organizations, as well as medical records showing a history of injuries that resulted in severe chronic pain. the defense also submitted a document granting permission for the use of cannabis for medical purposes to treat severe chronic pain. it was issued by arizona s department of health and the player s doping test results, all of which were negative. griner appeared in court yesterday for testimony for character witnesses, including the head of the russian club she plays for in the offseason and a teammate from the squad, as her defense appeals for leniency in a case that carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison. griner has been held in russia since her arrest at a moscow airport in february, where officials say they found vape
smile not seen since her incarceration. she holds up the wnba players who recently wore her number at the all-star game. a key piece of evidence, a letter from a u.s. medical center prescribing medical cannabis for, quote, severe chronic pain. we re trying to make the judge sympathetic. so when she shows evidence like that, the judge can go, well, okay, the united states prescribed this and she s in pain. she s not a recreational drug user. the american basketball star had less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage when she was apprehended at a moscow airport in february. it could still land her 10 years in a russian prison. i worry she is going to serve a year or two or three of her sentence before something gets hammered out. greiner has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges but said she accidentally packed the cannabis oil and is trying for a more lenient sentence. this week her lawyers presented
gold medalist brittney griner has decided to plead guilty to drug smuggling charges. her lawyers say it was her own choice to do so and they hope the prosecutors will give her some leniency. cnn s brian todd has what happened in court. reporter: brittney griner double speak as she s led in handcuffs outside the courtroom, but inside the american basketball star s words were captured in a recording. [ indiscernible ] reporter: griner tell the jeff she wants to give her testimony later. after the hearing, griner s lawyers gave more detail on the less than one gram of cannabis oil that russian officials said griner was carrying when she was apprehended at a moscow airport in february. she admitted it was her hers, but she said that it was unintentionally brought to
in prison. megan fitzgerald is joining us from london. welcome. what do we know about the latest effort to bring her home? one of the reasons behind her guilty plea? alex, good to be with you. we do not know specifics as far as what the administration is doing to secure her release. we do know that her wife had a chance to speak to the president and vice president on wednesday. she says that she feels confident that they are doing everything they can. as far as that guilty plea is concerned, griner s attorney says the hope here is that the plea will help expedite the trial. that will put brittani in a position to try and secure her release. it is another morning that wnba star brittney griner is waking up inside of a russian prison. the two-time olympian pleaded guilty just days ago to drug charges after being caught with cannabis oil in a moscow airport in february. it was brought to russia. the high profile case means
explosions in the belgorod region and in russia in general are actually not that uncommon over the last couple of months. there have been many of them reported usually against military installations, fuel depots, things like that. the ukrainians have never actually officially taken responsibility for them. neither have they taken responsibility for these latest ones either, jessica. scott mclean in ukraine for us, thanks so much. basketball star brittney griner s trial in moscow is expected to resume this week. it began friday for drug smuggling charges. prosecutors there say she had less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage when she was arrested at a moscow airport in february. u.s. officials have said she was wrongfully detained and her supporters say she is being used as a political pawn as tensions rise with russia. cnn s abby phillips spoke exclusively with griner s wife who hasn t seen griner since before she was detained. here is that conversation.