US says basketball star ‘wrongfully detained’ in Russia

The United States said Tuesday that Russia has unjustly detained basketball big name Brittney Griner, a locate that steps up efforts to unfastened her extra than two months after she changed into seized in Moscow.

“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained US citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson said.

Calling American citizens’ safety “among the highest priorities of the US government,” the spokesperson said the State Department would “provide appropriate support” to Griner.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow’s airport on February 17 on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, illegal in Russia.

Washington had earlier been granted consular access but had stopped short of commenting on the nature of her detention.

The finding comes nearly a week after the United States and Russia exchanged prisoners, a scene reminiscent of the Cold War amid soaring tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia in the last exchange freed Trevor Reed, a former US Marine accused of drunkenly fighting with police.

The United States additionally says that Russia has unjustly detained Paul Whelan, a former security professional at a car parts business enterprise who become sentenced to sixteen years in prison on espionage costs.

Griner, 31, is taken into consideration by many of the greatest lady basketball gamers with her talent at “dunking” a ball.

She became playing membership basketball in Russia earlier than the resumption of the USA season, a common practice for American stars in search of additional income.