A Russian court docket on Tuesday prolonged the pretrial detention of the W.N.B.A. basketball superstar Brittney Griner on drug smuggling fees till July 2, pushing her prison stint previous the 4 month mark, in keeping with the legitimate state information company TASS.
The Khimki Court docket of the Moscow area granted the 18-day extension on the request of investigators, the company quoted the court docket’s press provider as pronouncing. It’s conventional of Russian courts to increase detention time and again till trial. Ms. Griner’s legal professional, Aleksandr Boikov, may no longer right away be reached for remark.
The American basketball superstar was once arrested 4 months in the past after Russian officers mentioned they discovered vape cartridges bearing strains of hash oil in her baggage whilst she was once passing via Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow’s major global airport. The rate carries a prison sentence of as much as 10 years.
Ms. Griner was once arrested on Feb. 17, one week prior to Russia invaded Ukraine, however officers didn’t disclose that she have been detained till days after the struggle started, elevating fears that she could be used as a bargaining chip within the total disaster. There was some hypothesis that after convicted, Ms. Griner could be a part of a prisoner trade with america.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Ms. Griner performs for the Phoenix Mercury, and U.S. officers met with the workforce on Monday to talk about efforts to safe her unencumber. In Might, the State Division mentioned it made up our minds that Ms. Griner have been “wrongfully detained.”
When she was once taken into custody, Ms. Griner was once returning to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a certified girls’s basketball workforce. Many W.N.B.A. gamers complement their earning within the league’s low season by means of taking part in the world over.
