Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner will be detained in Russia until July 2 at the earliest. The Khimki district court of the Moscow region has said a swap for Griner with the U.S. government will not be an option “until a court investigation into her case is completed.”
Griner continues to stay behind bars for her February arrest after authorities said she smuggled a “significant amount of a narcotic substance” into Russia. The narcotic the authorities are referring to were vape cartridges containing cannabis oil which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison in Russia.
“What is troubling about the extension of Griner’s detainment is the fact that the U.S. government did not hear about it directly from Russian officials,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday. Price said it was his understanding state department officials only learned about the extension through the Russian state-run news agency TASS.
“This case is problematic from top to bottom,” he said. “It is precisely why we have characterized Brittney Griner as an unlawful detainee. It’s precisely why we are doing everything we can to seek and to affect her prompt release from Russian detention.”
In addition to her unlawful detention, another concern is how long U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed was detained before a prisoner swap occurred between the U.S. and Russia last month. Reed was arrested in 2019 after being accused of attacking a Moscow police officer. He was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison and it took almost three years for him to return to U.S. soil.
With the continued extension of her detention which is beginning to mimic Reed’s case, the United States is questioning if the accounts of Griner’s arrest were legitimate at all. Danielle Gilbert, assistant professor of military and strategic studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy told ESPN. “Dragging out her detention, missing court deadlines -- these are key indicators that we should question the legitimacy of her arrest, precisely why the U.S. classified it as a wrongful detention.”
Based on the accounts that have now been shared about the treatment prisoners receive in Russian prisons, it is the hope of Griner’s wife, Cherelle, that she will make it home soon. President Biden has stated it is a top priority to get Griner home. “I was grateful for the call, he says she’s top priority but I want to see it. At this point I don’t even know who I’d be getting back,” said Cherelle Griner.
Follow Christine on Twitter @CBrown_ATR
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