WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Britney Greener has been illegally detained in Russia, which means that the United States will work harder to secure her release, even when the lawsuit against her is being played out. The State Department on Tuesday.
“The U.S. government will continue to work to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner,” the department said.
Greener was detained at the airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Since then, U.S. officials have stopped classifying the Phoenix Mercury toy as improperly seized and have instead said their focus is on ensuring it has access to U.S. consular officers in prison.
But U.S. officials have now transferred oversight of her case to the State Department’s Office of the President’s Special Envoy for Hostages, which focuses on negotiations to release hostages and other Americans illegally detained in other countries. A consular officer did visit in March.
“Britney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House will do everything necessary to bring her home,” said Greens’ agent Lindsay Kagawa Kolas.
The president of the WNBA, Nneka Ogvumike, said in a separate statement that “75 days have passed since our friend, teammate, sister Britney Grinner, was illegally detained in Russia.”
“It’s time for her to go home,” Ogvumike added. “After learning that the US government has determined that BG was detained illegally, we hope that their efforts will be significant, rapid and successful.
It was unclear what caused the change in approach to the Grinner case, although President Joe Biden’s administration has come under pressure from members of Congress and others to make her release a priority.
Last week, the United States secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of a prisoner exchange that also led to the release of a convicted Russian drug trafficker from a U.S. prison
In addition to Griner, another American considered unjustly detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security chief, who was arrested in December 2018 while visiting a friend’s wedding and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison. years in prison on espionage charges, according to his family. are fake.
ESPN first announced the classification in Griner’s case.
Meanwhile, the WNBA announced on Tuesday that it will honor Greener with a sticker on the floor and allow Mercury to pay her, without counting against the team’s limit. The decals will have the initials of Griner, BG, as well as its number 42.
All 12 teams will have stickers on their home courts, starting with the opening of the season on Friday night. Mercury opened their season at home that night against Las Vegas Aces.
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Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg of New York contributed to this report.
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