The Biden administration said an American professional basketball player held in Russia for possession of marijuana e-cigarette cartridges in her luggage was wrongfully detained.
That could imply that the US is taking a more aggressive stance to secure the release of Brittney Griner, detained at Moscow airport in February.
His case will now be handled by the State Department’s Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which handles hostage cases.
“The State Department has determined that the Russian Federation wrongfully detained US citizen Brittney Griner. With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, will lead the interagency team to secure the release of Brittney Griner, a State Department spokesman told ESPN.
Before the announcement, the United States had not officially declared that the WNBA women’s basketball association player was wrongfully detained.
“Brittney has been in detention for 75 days and what we hope is that the White House will do whatever it takes to get her back,” Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said.
The WNBA also released a statement on the case.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do in the game of basketball and in the community,” the WNBA commissioner said in the statement.
“We will continue to work for Brittney’s return and appreciate the support the community has shown her and her family during this extraordinarily difficult time.”
It’s unclear what prompted the administration to change its stance in the case, but it was under pressure from members of Congress to intercede for Griner’s release.
[Con información de AP]
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