Brittney Griner has been in the custody of Russian police since February 17 when she was detained at an airport near Moscow for alleged possession of hashish oil cartridges, and her pre-trial detention will be extended for another 18 days — until July 2 — in spite of the growing public push for her return to the United States from those in the WNBA, NBA, and beyond.
Russian state media outlet TASS reports (via ABC) the court has provided investigators an extension of nearly three weeks in the case, leaving the Phoenix Mercury star stuck in Russian custody until at least next month as she faces charges that carry up to a 10-year sentence.
This comes as her fellow WNBA colleagues have pleaded with the United States government to increase their pursuit of her release back to the United States. The WNBA has put Griner’s number and initials on every court leaguewide and players have continually used their time speaking with the media and on their social media accounts to call for a greater response from president Joe Biden and the U.S. government to her detainment.
Griner’s status was officially designated as “wrongfully detained” in early May, but to this point there has been little in the way of positive news regarding any efforts to bring her home.
