The Link Entertainment

Connecting.Curating.Creating The Culture

WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia extended to May 19

image1-11

RICK SCUTERI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Share

On Thursday, a Russian news agency TASS claimed that the Khimkinsky court of the Moscow region ruled to detain the basketball star for two more months.

A State Department spokesperson told NBC News that Griner’s legal team requested for the athlete to be placed on house arrest during Thursday’s hearing, but it was denied. “We have repeatedly asked for consular access to these detainees and have consistently been denied access,” said the source. 

According to Ekaterina Kalugina, a member of the Public Monitoring Commission, a semi-official body with access to Russian prisons, Griner has been sharing a cell with two other women that both have no previous convictions and are charged with drug related articles.

Griner is doing “OK” but her only issue is that her 6-foot-9-inch frame is too tall for the standard cell beds. 

The detainment could potentially be extended again if the investigation isn’t completed by May.

In February, Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia on drug charges after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were found in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. Griner could potentially face up to 10 years in prison.

The WNBA seven-time All-Star plays center for WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and has played in Russia for the last seven years.

About Author