As of Monday, it has officially been 200 days since WNBA star Brittney Griner was first detained in Russia.
Griner has been detained in Russian since February 17 when airport authorities allege to have found vape cartridges containing a cannabis derivative inside her luggage. She was put on trial, found guilty, and is now serving a nine-year sentence for drug smuggling and possession charges, even though the cannabis had been prescribed to her.
The U.S. and Russia have been in negotiations for some time now to find a way to get Griner back home. As many experts have said the Russian legal process was a sham and “political theater,” the goal was to entice negotiations for a prisoner swap that could see the basketball star and another U.S. detainee returned home for Russians currently held in U.S. prisons. It is expected that there could be a resolution soon.
Meanwhile, Griner’s situation has become a flashpoint back home in America, with some wanting the country to do whatever it takes to get her back and others lacking much sympathy for her despite the harsh conditions she is likely facing in Russian prisons.
U.S. President Joe Biden has discussed Griner and a desire to return her home, saying she has been “wrongfully detained.”
[Reuters]