Brittney Griner's Detention Extended One Month Amid 'Wrongfully Detained' Status

Griner, 31, has been detained for close to three months. U.S. government officials and the WNBA said they were feverishly working toward her release. As Blavity previously reported, the Biden administration reclassified the two-time Olympic gold medalist as “wrongfully detained” at the beginning of May.

Although the reasoning for her reclassification was not disclosed, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who actively brokers the release of hostages and Americans thought to be wrongfully detained, is now responsible for her safe release, AP reports. 

The Russian government, however, pushed back on assertions made by the U.S. that Griner’s detention in the state-capitalist nation is “illegal,” according to The Independent. 

On Thursday, Russian authorities issued a statement to CNN that said Griner’s detention was based on “objective facts and evidence.”

“She was caught red-handed while trying to smuggle hash oil,” Russia’s foreign minister said, CNN reports. “In Russia, this is a crime.”

Griner was apprehended at a Moscow-area airport after the Russian Federal Customs Service officials allegedly discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if found guilty of the charges.

Russians leaders have been persistent in alleging that the tense political relations with the United States are not a catalyst for Griner’s criminal case. 

In April, the United States negotiated the release of ex-marine Trevor Reed for Russian prisoner Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. 

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson is now working on the case. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price also verified that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan met with Russian officials, but did not share whether they spoke about Griner’s case, ESPN reports.