In the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury.
The Lady Bears of Baylor recruited her to play college basketball for the Lady Bears of Baylor while attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas. In addition to scoring 2,000 points, she is the only player to block 500 shots in NCAA basketball history.
Many people on both sides of the divide advocate for the return to the United States of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been in Russian custody since February 2022.
Brittney Griner Detainment
In February, 31-year-old American basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested by Russian authorities. After being detained at a Moscow airport, Britney was accused of carrying cigarillos containing cannabis oil. She was detained by authorities for 10 hours until police were able to take her away.
Her status as a wrongfully detained person was reclassified by the Department of State last month. According to a report by The New York Times, Brittney Griner is currently under investigation for “serious drug trafficking.” The Russian law holds that for such a crime that can carry a maximum prison term of ten years is considered a serious offense.
Brittney Griner Detention Extended
According to Tass, the player is expected to remain in detention at least until July 2. In a travel security check at a Moscow airport on February 17, the Phoenix Mercury star was reportedly found to have cannabis oil in her luggage.
She was reportedly detained by Russian authorities on Tuesday, adding 18 more days to her detention date, stated a representative of the Khimki Court, a court in the Moscow Region, according to Tass, a news agency that covers Moscow as well as the region.
According to a report from CBS News, a Russian court has previously extended her detention until May 19, and again from there until the middle of June, CNN reports.
How will this next legal step be carried out?
In an interview with Reuters, Griner admitted that she was arrested on February 17 by Russian authorities. She could have a hearing next Friday or as soon as May 19, when the period of her detention will end.
Moreover, her detention has been posted on her social media too, by her management. They have posted a post on her Instagram and Twitter that she has detained.
According to court records, her pre-trial detention will most likely be extended. On May 19, Griner was scheduled to be released from detention, not on the date of Griner’s court date or her trial.
The Russian courts frequently extend the pre-trial detention of suspects so that they can spend years in jail in anticipation of trial.
What are the views of the Russian government on the Brittney Griner case?
There has been no condemnation of Griner’s case by Russian officials, only the description of it as a criminal offense. This occurs at the same time that Russia is engaged in a war in Ukraine that has brought U.S.-Russian relations to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
The Russian and American governments surprised both nations by completing a prisoner exchange last month, in which both countries swapped ex-marine Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko. The pilot is serving a sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States.