Following the arrest of Brittney Griner last month, a Russian, local TV station released a new image of Griner. The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist was accused of having cannabis oil in her luggage and for smuggling large amounts of a narcotic substance. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
As of now, there is not much information on Griner’s arrest or where she is being held. As tension between the US and Russia escalates in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been concerns about getting her out of Russia. As questions continue to arise about her freedom, a Russian TV station released an image of Griner in a police station. The photo shows Griner standing in a police station shortly after her arrest while holding a sheet of paper that displays her name. The TV station did not release any further information about her arrest.
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CNN attempted to reach out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comments on Griner but did not receive any info. A member of Russia’s Federal Customs Service did detail the charges against her to Russia’s main state-owned news channel. “A criminal case has been opened against an American citizen under section 2 of 229 YK RF (Russian law) for smuggling of a significant amount of drugs,” Irina Begisheva said.
Since her arrest, Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner expressed her concern and pain about the arrest on Instagram. “People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by. There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting,” she said.
The next steps in getting Griner released have yet to be announced.