Russian authorities announce an extension of Mercury’s Brittney Griner’s arrest amidst drug scandal
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Brittney Griner
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) superstar, Brittney Griner was arrested and charged for possession of illegal substances. The American basketball player has been in Russian detention since February 17, 2022. Griner was caught smuggling hash oil into the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia. This has raised concerns among the United States officials as there are no leads about her safety, which is highly dangerous amid the ongoing crisis in the country.
News has been given that Griner has been in contact with a local Russian lawyer who is mediating between her and her representatives and family in the US. Colin Allred, a US representative told ESPN, “For Brittney’s sake, we don’t want her to become a part of this kind of political battle that’s going on, and we want to make sure that her rights are respected and that we are able to get access to her, and that she can get through the process and get home as quickly as possible.”
New leads on the Brittney Griner case surface on potential 10-year sentencing
Over three weeks after the arrest of the former Phoenix Mercury player, the court of Moscow announced the extension of detainment until May 19, 2022. The court plans on continuing the investigation until the given time frame. Ekaterina Kalugina who represents TASS had visited Griner at the pre-trial detention center. Kalugina said that the US consul did not visit the two-time Olympian Medalist even after being permitted by the Russian authorities under certain conditions.
Based on the consular access issue, Allred had called the situation “really unusual.” Looking at how Griner has been treated by the Russian authorities, a journalist by the name of Jason Rezaian, who was detained for nearly 550 days in Iran said, “I know from my own case that the supposed charges against e were not based in anything like reality, and they were used to perpetuate a narrative about why I was being held.”
Brittney Griner receives support from the former First Lady of the US
Whatever is going with Griner is horrible news for her fellow Americans, especially during the time of war involving the country that has taken her into custody. Former First Lady and Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton reached out to the Russian authorities for the release of the WNBA star via Twitter. Her post captioned, “Free Brittney”.
Griner is currently signed under a Russian team called UMMC Ekaterinburg, where she has played since 2015. With the WNBA, she has played a total of nine seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She averaged a career 17.7 points per game along with 2.8 blocks, 7.6 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field, 35.3% from three and 80.4% from the free-throw line.
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Rakibul John Rodgers
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