Griner, who has the US government
said is wrongly heldcan now be held on remand until at least June 18, a court in Khimki outside Moscow ruled Friday, TASS reported, citing the court’s press service.
She left a Khimki court hearing Friday, handcuffed and wearing an orange hoodie with her head down, an Associated Press photo.
A U.S. embassy official was able to speak with Griner on the sidelines of her hearing Friday morning, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“The officer was able to confirm that Brittney Griner is doing as well as can be expected under what can only be described as exceptionally difficult circumstances,” Price said during a briefing on Friday.
Supporters, including Griner’s family and the WNBA, have been powerful
advocated for her release, with what
express concern Russia would use Griner as a political pawn amid tensions between that country and the US
Russian invasion of Ukraine†
A two-time Olympic gold medalist and star for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, Griner, 31, was
arrested in February at an airport in Moscow. Russian authorities
said Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of narcotics – a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. She played off-season for a Russian team.
A Russian court had
announced in March it had extended Griner’s remand until mid-May. A trial date had not yet been set, a source close to the situation told CNN at the time.
US classified her as wrongly detained
The extension of Griner’s remand on Friday “was not unexpected,” said a WNBA spokesperson, “and the WNBA continues to work with the U.S. government to get BG home safely and as quickly as possible.”
The United States Department of State has
classified Griner as wrongly detained in Russia, and her case is being heard by the office of the US Presidential Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, a State Department official confirmed to CNN last week. The agency is leading the government’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
That office was instrumental in securing the release of a US citizen and naval veteran
Trevor Reed from Russia last month. cane wax
released in a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko.
The Richardson Center, which advocates privately for families of hostages and prisoners, too
said it works on behalf of the Griner family to try to secure her release.
Griner was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA draw and is one of the league’s all-time greatest players.
The competition, which
started his 26th regular season last week without Griner, honors the seven-time all-star with her initials and jersey number (42) along the sidelines of all 12 home fields. Griner will also receive her full WNBA salary, the league said.
Last season, Griner finished second in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. The 6-foot-9 center led the Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where Phoenix lost to the Chicago Sky.
Jennifer Hansler, Ellie Kaufman, Homero DeLaFuente, Wayne Sterling, Aya Elamroussi and Steve Almasy of CNN contributed to this report.
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