Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates with fans following Game Two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021, in Phoenix, Arizona. | Source: Christian Petersen / Getty
UPDATED: 2:45 p.m. ET, June 28, 2022
Brittney Griner’s fight to make it back to the U.S continues.
MORE: What Is The Biden Administration Doing To Free Brittney Griner?
Sadly, Griner was delivered more unfortunate news at her closed-door preliminary hearing in Khimkski, Russia on June 27. Russian officials extended the basketball star’s detention another six months until Dec. 20, according to AP News. Video footage captured the 31-year-old looking awry as she walked into the courthouse with two guards and a police canine on Monday. Griner declined to answer questions from reporters as she was led into the courtroom. The 6 foot 9 athlete’s trial is officially set to begin on July 1.
Earlier this month, the WNBA star’s pre-trial detention was extended by a Russian court through at least July 2. She has been detained for more than 100 days. The news of her extended detention came just hours after Griner’s Phoenix Mercury teammates met with the United States Department of State to discuss the status of Brittney Griner’s “wrongful detention” in Russia.
The Phoenix Mercury players, coaches, staff and WNBPA staff met this morning with members of the United States Department of State to discuss the status of Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention in Russia. pic.twitter.com/A4wzxT4BuZ
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 13, 2022
On April 27 calls grew louder for Griner’s release after President Joe Biden announced a prisoner swap deal to release a Russian convicted of drug trafficking in exchange for an American prisoner in Russia. After nearly three months of silence on Griner, on May 3 the Biden administration declared that Griner had been “wrongfully detained.” As such, the U.S. government would work more aggressively to secure her release even while the Russian legal case against Griner proceeds. But Brittney still sits in a Russian jail cell.
Griner is being detained in Russia as the country rages war against Ukraine. Although it’s unclear as to when she was taken into custody, the athlete, who plays as a center for the Pheonix Mercury, was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport after officials from the Russian Customs Service found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
According to the organization’s statement, “a working dog from the Sheremetyevo customs canine department detected the possible presence of narcotic substances” in the basketball star’s luggage as she attempted to pass through security screening, CNN noted. The agency also released a video of the incident to the public.
Thousands of fans and Griner’s family are pleading with Russian authorities to bring the 31-year-old back home safely amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Here’s everything we know about the situation so far.
Griner’s possible path back to the U.S.
In May, Russian state media claimed that they were in negotiation to free Griner in exchange for convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death.” Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison on conspiracy charges after he was accused of providing aid to terrorist organizations. However, State Department official Roger Carstens, who is helping to negotiate Griner’s release, declined to comment on the possibility of the swap.
There have also been rumors that the U.S. could be in talks with Russia to trade not only Griner but also former Marine Paul Whelan in exchange for Bout. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison on espionage charges in 2018. During a recent interview with Jake Tapper, U.S. Secretary of State Atony Blinken refused to reveal information about the suspected trade.
“As a general proposition, Jake, I’ve got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home, and that includes Paul Whelan and that includes Brittney Griner. That includes people in a number of other countries,” Blinken said, before adding:
“I can’t comment in any detail on what we’re doing except to say this is an absolute priority.”
Back in May, the Texas native’s case was handed over to the office of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA.) The department leads and coordinates the government’s diplomatic endeavors pertaining to the release of wrongfully detained prisoners overseas and other hostage-related matters.
Cherelle Griner Says the U.S. dropped the ball on a scheduled call with her wife
In an exclusive interview with AP News on June 20, Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, revealed that Brittney tried to call her nearly a dozen times for their fourth anniversary, but Embassy staff never connected the call due to a scheduling error. Cherelle hadn’t spoken to her wife in nearly four months.
“I was distraught. I was hurt. I was done, fed up. I’m pretty sure I texted BG’s agent and was like: ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody,’” she told the news outlet. “It’s going to take me a minute to get my emotions together, and just tell everybody I’m unavailable right now.’ Because it just knocked me out. I wasn’t well, I’m still not well.”
Cherelle said she has grown increasingly frustrated by the U.S. government’s slow response to Griner’s case. She felt like the failed call was a snub given that she had coordinated almost two weeks in advance to have a scheduled chat with her wife. According to Cherelle, officials scheduled the call “with a weekend date,” although Embassy workers normally aren’t on call on the weekends.
“I find it unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now. If I can’t trust you to catch a Saturday call outside of business hours, how can I trust you to actually be negotiating on my wife’s behalf to come home? Because that’s a much bigger ask than to catch a Saturday call,” she added.
Cherelle and Griner’s family hope to speak to President Biden to help expedite her release, but they are beginning to lose hope.
What was Griner doing in Russia
During the WNBA off-season., Griner has been playing with the Russian women’s basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg for the last seven years. Her last game was on Jan. 29, just before the team took a two-week hiatus in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. Reports alleged that the Houston native may have been detained during that time. Griner scored big while playing with the Russian team, averaging 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The star athlete reportedly makes over a million per season. She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and she has won a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury.
What are Griner’s charges?
Griner is currently being held on drug charges. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison in Russia. The New York Times reported that Russian authorities have opened up a criminal case against Griner pertaining to “the large-scale transportation of drugs.” She is currently being held in custody as the investigation weighs on.
A petition has been created for the WNBA star’s release
Thanks to sports journalist Tamryn Spruill, thousands of people have signed a Change.org petition urging Griner’s swift and safe return to the U.S. As of March 7, the petition has received over 5,000 signatures.
Spruill, who does regular sports coverage of the WNBA, referred to Griner on the campaign’s website as “a beloved global citizen who has used her platform since her entry into the WNBA to help others.”
Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas released a statement about the issue during a press conference on March 5
“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” she said. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
The Pheonix Mercury also issued a statement that said they continue to stand in solidarity with Griner amid her tough legal woes.
“We are aware of and are closely monitoring the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia. We remain in constant contact with her family, her representation, the W.N.B.A., and N.B.A. We love and support Brittney and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home,” the team’s statement read.
Brittney Griner’s wife has finally spoken out
On Mar 6., the star’s wife, Cherelle Griner, finally broke her silence about the heartbreaking situation. Cherelle thanked fans for all their love and support.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated,” she wrote, captioning a sweet photo alongside Griner.
“I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely,” Cherelle added.
In a separate post on Monday, Cherelle took to social media again with a photo of Griner’s family and loved ones, telling fans:
“There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family,” she wrote on March 7.
It might be tough to free Griner
Russia’s State Department issued a do not travel advisory amid the ongoing war between the country and Ukraine. Officials urged U.S. citizens to evacuate, warning Americans of the “potential for harassment” by Russian government security officials” and “the Embassy’s limited ability to assist” Americans in Russia.
A member of the US House Armed Services Committee told CNN that it was “it’s going to be very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia amid the chaotic war crisis.
“Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment,” said Democratic Rep. John Garamendi on Monday. “Perhaps during the various negotiations that may take place, she might be able to be one of the solutions. I don’t know.”
Additionally, Garamendi noted that Russia “has some very, very strict LGBT rules and laws,” but it’s unclear as to whether they will affect the WNBA star’s case.
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Link to original Newsone