WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention In Russia Extended One Month
Russian officials extended WNBA star Brittney Griner’s pre-trial detention by one month at a hearing on May 13 at a courtroom near Moscow, the Associated Press reports.
Griner, 31, appeared at the hearing in handcuffs and wearing a red hoodie.
Her lawyer Alexander Boikov told the AP that the short extension indicates that the case will soon come to trial. She has been in detention for nearly three months.
Griner was detained on Feb. 17 by Russian Federal Customs Service at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow after agents allegedly discovered hashish oil vape cartridges in her luggage, The New York Times reported.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury stands accused of transporting drugs, which can carry a 10-year prison sentence.
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The U.S. has officially classified Griner as being wrongfully detained. According to CNN, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) and Roger Carstens, a State Department official, confirmed Griner is wrongfully detained.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the classification was made "in coordination with the hostage negotiator [Carstens] and the State Department."
She continued, "But typically, and I don't believe this will change, in order to, to leave the space to have an outcome we all want and desire, which is to bring her and any Americans detained or unjustifiably detained home, we typically don't talk about it extensively.”
