Greiner, which is owned by the US government He said he is being unjustly detainedciting the court’s press service, a court in Khimki outside Moscow ruled Friday, citing the court’s press service.
An Associated Press photo showed that she had left Friday’s hearing in Khimki courthouse, handcuffed, and wearing an orange hoodie with her head down.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said a US embassy official was able to speak with Grenier on the sidelines of her hearing Friday morning.
“The officer was able to confirm that Britney Grenier is doing as well as might be expected under what can only be described as extremely difficult circumstances,” Price said in a media call on Friday.
Supporters including the Griner family and the WNBA are strong Call to be released with some expressing concerns Russia will use Greiner as a political tool amid the tensions between that country and the United States Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and star in Phoenix Mercury WNBA member, Griner, 31, was Arrested in February At Moscow airport. Russian authorities Greiner said she had hemp oil in her luggage She accused her of smuggling large quantities of narcotics – a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. She was playing for a Russian team in the WNBA off-season.
It was a Russian court announced in March She had extended Grenier’s pretrial detention until mid-May. A source close to the situation told CNN at the time, that no trial date had been set.
The United States classified her as being unjustly detained
A WNBA spokesperson said Friday that the extension of Greiner’s pretrial detention was “not unexpected, and the WNBA continues to work with the US government to bring BG home safely and as quickly as possible.”
The US State Department has Griner classified as unjustly detained In Russia, her case is being handled by the Office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, a State Department official confirmed to CNN last week. The office leads the government’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained abroad.
This office played a key role in securing the release of the US citizen and veteran Trevor Reid from Russia last month. was red He was released in a prisoner exchange About Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko.
The Richardson Center, which specifically advocates for families of hostages and detainees as well She said She is working on behalf of the Griner family to try to secure her release.
Griner was the first pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft and is one of the league’s best players of all time.
league which He started his 26th regular season last week Without Greiner, the seven-time star is honored with her initials and jersey number (42) on the sidelines of all 12 stadiums. The league said Grenier will also receive her full salary from the WNBA.
Last season, Grenier finished second in the vote for the Most Valuable Player award. The 6-foot-9 position led Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where Phoenix lost to Chicago Sky.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Eli Kaufman, Homero Delavuente, Wayne Sterling, Aya El-Amrousy and Steve Elmassy contributed to this report.
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