On February 17, Russia said it had arrested Brittney Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star player, for possession of vape cartridges containing hashish oil.
The US State Department issued a statement on Tuesday saying Russia had “wrongly detained” an American basketball player Brittney Griner.
Griner was arrested less than three months ago at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow after Russian customs authorities found cartridges of e-cigarette containing hashish oil in his luggage. He faces up to ten years in prison for drug smuggling.
Russia arrested Griner as tensions between Washington and Moscow escalated. At the same time, Russia invaded Ukraine with its military operations. U.S. officials had not previously reached an official statement criticizing Griner’s arrest as “illegal.”
The United States has also complained that Russia does not allow regular access to its citizens, even though consular access to Griner was granted once on March 23rd.
– The US government will continue its efforts to provide appropriate support to Griner, the statement said.
The official statement from the State Department means, in effect, that the United States will begin negotiations to get Griner released rather than let a Russian court decide on the punishment.