VOA新闻杂志2022--美国女子篮球运动员涉嫌走私毒品在俄被捕认罪

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US Basketball Star Pleads Guilty in Russia Drugs Trial

American basketball star Brittney Griner admitted guilt¹ to drug possession in a Russian court on Thursday. She also said she did not mean to break the law.

"I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said in English. Her plea was then repeated in Russian for the court in Moscow.

One of Greiner's lawyers added, "Brittney stressed that she committed the crime out of carelessness, getting ready to board a plane to Russia in a hurry, not intending to break Russian law."

Griner was detained in February at the airport in Moscow after smoking devices with cannabis oil were reportedly found in her belongings². She could face up to 10 years in Russian prison if she is convicted of transporting illegal drugs.

Griner's next court hearing is set to take place on July 14.

Griner's lawyer told reporters they were hoping for the lightest sentencing possible. The Russian foreign ministry³ said Griner could appeal her sentence once a verdict has been given.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a member of the Phoenix⁴ Mercury - one of the teams of the Women's National Basketball Association, or WNBA. In the off-season, Griner competes for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg.

The trial began last week in Moscow. Her arrest five months ago came one week before Russia launched its war in Ukraine.

The U.S. and Western allies have helped Ukraine with weapons and supplies in the fight against the Russian invasion.

Elizabeth Rood is deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. She told reporters after the hearing that she spoke⁵ to Griner in the courtroom and shared a letter with her from President Joe Biden. Griner, she said, is eating well and is able to pass time reading books.

Rood said, "I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained."

The U.S. State Department has also put Griner's case under the supervision⁶ of the government's chief hostage negotiator.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov objected to the U.S. description of Griner as "wrongfully detained." He warned that U.S. criticism and comments about the Russian judicial⁸ system, "make it difficult to engage in detailed⁹ discussion of any possible exchanges."

When asked about the possibility of Griner being exchanged for a Russian citizen jailed in the U.S., Ryabkov said that until her trial is over "there are no... reasons to talk about any further steps."

Russian news media have suggested that Griner could be exchanged for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout⁷. Called "the Merchant of Death," Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. He was convicted of plotting to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.

Russia has campaigned for Bout's release for years. But the severity of Bout's crime as compared to Griner's reported offense¹⁰ makes the one-to-one exchange unlikely.

Others have suggested that Griner could be traded along with Paul Whelan. The former U.S. Marine¹¹ and security director is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of spying. The United States, however, has repeatedly said he was trapped.

Words in This Story

plead - v. to say in court that you are guilty or not guilty

stress - v. to give special attention to

commit - v. to do something that is harmful or illegal

convict - v. to prove that someone is guilty in court

sentence - v. to officially state a punishment

verdict - n. a decision made by a jury in a trial

emphasize - v. to give special attention to

engage in - phrasal verb, to cause someone to take part in something

1 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

2 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

7 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。