Olympic champion in prison in Russia
USA demands contact with Griner from Moscow
03/18/2022, 9:11 p.m
Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic champion – and has been in prison in Moscow since February. The basketball player was arrested for alleged drug possession. Then Russia attacks Ukraine. The US government has been holding back on the Griner case for a long time due to the global situation, but that is now changing.
The US State Department is pushing for consular care for two-time Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner, who is being held in Moscow. “We are closely involved in this case and are in constant contact with Brittney Griner’s legal team. We insist that the Russian government grant consular access to all US citizens detained in Russia, including those who, like Brittney Griner, are in pre-trial detention,” it said in a statement, according to ESPN.
Accordingly, consular access to Griner was repeatedly requested, “which was always denied to us,” it said. Griner is in custody at Moscow Airport after being arrested for alleged drug possession. A court in the Moscow region in the city of Khimki had extended the arrest until May 19.
According to Russian media reports, Griner’s lawyers applied for a transfer from prison to house arrest on Thursday – but they do not expect the application to be approved. The situation is also complicated because, in addition to Griner, two other Americans have been in Russian custody for more than two years.
As the Interfax news agency reported in early March, citing Russian customs, so-called vape cartridges and hashish oil were discovered in the American’s luggage during an inspection in February. According to the information, you face five to ten years in prison. The 31-year-old US international has also played for the UMMC Yekaterinburg team in the Urals since 2015. Griner won the Euroleague four times with the top Russian club.