This browser does not support the Video element.
Brittney Griner now considered wrongfully detained, US officials say
WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing traces of cannabis oil.
MOSCOW - The lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner said Friday her pre-trial detention in Russia has been extended by one month.
Alexander Boykov told The Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. She has been in detention for nearly three months.
She appeared for the brief hearing handcuffed, her dreadlocks covered in a red hoodie and her face held low.
Boykov said "We did not receive any complaints about the detention conditions from our client."
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at a Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Biden administration says Griner, 31, is being wrongfully detained. The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked toward her release, without visible progress.
The Russians have described Griner’s case as a criminal offense without making any political associations.
But it comes amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine that has brought U.S.-Russian relations to the lowest level since the Cold War.
Despite the strain, Russia and the United States carried out an unexpected prisoner exchange last month — trading ex-marine Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. While the U.S. does not typically embrace such exchanges, it made the deal in part because Yaroshenko had already served a long portion of his prison sentence.
The Russians may consider Griner a potential part of another such exchange.
MORE: Brittney Griner prisoner swap for 'Merchant of Death' on the table, Russian media claims
The State Department last week said it now regards Griner as wrongfully detained, a change in classification that suggests the U.S. government will be more active in trying to secure her release even while the legal case plays out. The status change places her case under the purview of the department’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which is responsible for negotiating for the release of hostages and Americans considered wrongfully detained.
Also working on the case now is a center led by Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who helped the release of multiple hostages and detainees, including Reed.
It’s not entirely clear why the U.S. government, which for weeks had been more circumspect in its approach, reclassified Griner as a wrongful detainee. But under federal law, there are a number of factors that go into such a characterization, including if the detention is based on being an American or if the detainee has been denied due process
U.S. State Dept. spokesman Ned Price has confirmed that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan had a meeting with Russian counterparts but would not say whether Griner was discussed or talk any further about her case.
August 28 2015: Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) before a WNBA game against the Washington Mystics at Verizon Center, in Washington D.C. Mystics won 71-63. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Continuing coverage
- WNBA to honor Brittney Griner with league-wide floor decals
- Brittney Griner visited by US Embassy official in Russia, State Department says
- Can diplomatic efforts work to free WNBA star Brittney Griner?
- Brittney Griner could spend 5 years in Russian labor camp, expert says
- WNBA star Brittney Griner's wife thanks fans for their support, asks for privacy after player's arrest
This browser does not support the Video element.
Watch: Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner detained in Russia after vapes found in luggage
Phoenix Mercury player and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been jailed in Russia after vape cartridges were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport, according to multiple reports. A Russian news agency reported that Griner could spend 5 to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, according to the New York Post. Credit: Federal Customs Service of Russia via Storyful