Brittney Griner was arrested in February for reportedly carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in a Moscow-area airport and she has not been able to return back to the USA since.
According to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, the U.S. government now considers Griner to be wrongfully detained by the Russian government and they will now seek to negotiate the WNBA star’s release.
Additionally, WNBA players and supporters in Congress will be allowed to shed as much light on this situation as they want.
“Brittney Griner is now classified as “wrongfully detained” by Russia, U.S. State Department says. Major shift in her case. Means officials will try to negotiate her release rather than let Russian legal system play out,” he reports.
Griner’s agent has since spoken out.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN.
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Until her release comes, the WNBA will honor her with a floor decal on all 12 courts.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” Engelbert said. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
Griner is scheduled to have a hearing on May 19th.
