WNBA star Brittney Griner has been in Russian custody since February, after Russian Federal Customs Service officials searched her luggage at an airport near Moscow, saying they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil.
The details around Griner’s detainment have been difficult to come by, especially as no one from the U.S. consulate in Russia has been able to visit Griner, who is being held by Russian authorities.
That changed Wednesday, as U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN that an official from the U.S. embassy was “granted consular access to Brittney Griner.”
“Within the past couple hours, an official from our embassy has been granted consular access to Brittney Griner,” Price said on CNN. “We were able to check on her condition. We will continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network to see to it that she is treated fairly. That is a message that we will continue to convey in no uncertain terms to the Russian Federation.”
Price was able to provide an update on her condition, saying that Griner was in “good condition.”
“There’s only so much I can say, but what I can say is that our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition,” Price said. “And we will continue to do everything we can to see to it that she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal.”
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price tells @CNN that U.S. Embassy officials in Russia were finally granted consular access to Brittney Griner “within the last couple hours.” The WNBA star was in “good condition,” he said. pic.twitter.com/sCgNEr6yvO
— Chris Bumbaca (@BOOMbaca) March 23, 2022
Last week, Griner’s detention in Russia was extended until May 19, as reported by TASS, a Russian state news agency.
“The court granted the petition of the investigation and extended the term of U.S. citizen Griner’s detention until May 19,” TASS quoted the Russian court as saying, according to Reuters.
Per reports, Griner is facing up to 10 years in prison for the crime.
The timing of her arrest coincides with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the U.S. and many Western countries putting heavy sanctions against Russia.
Days after the news, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration stands “ready to provide every possible assistance” to Americans detained in Russia, without mentioning Griner specifically.
“There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point,” Blinken said Sunday. “Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we, of course, stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia.”
“In times like these, it’s important that we maintain our diplomatic contacts, that we maintain the diplomatic support, particularly support that we can provide to Americans who may need it,” he continued.
Evelyn Farkas, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia and Ukraine, told Yahoo Sports that Russia could use Griner as a form of blackmail.
“If we want her out of jail, Russia is going to have some terms,” said Farkas. “It could be a prisoner swap. They also could use it as an implicit threat or blackmail to get us to do something or not do something. Either way, they find it useful.”
Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, also plays for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, as the Russian league often provides large salaries.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
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Source: Dailywire
