Status: 03.11.2022 21:42
US Embassy officials have visited US basketball player Griner, who is being held in Russia. A “significant offer” was made to the Kremlin to release him. Griner is in prison for drug possession and smuggling.
US basketball player Brittney Griner, who is in prison in Russia, has met with US embassy staff. She is doing as well as possible under the circumstances, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
She reiterated that the US had made a “significant offer” to the Kremlin to release Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan, who is also being held in Russia. So far, however, Russia has not responded.
“Toughness and Perseverance”
State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter that the embassy officials who visited Griner “saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her current circumstances.” Washington continues to call for the immediate release of Griner and Whelan, Price said.
Griner is threatened with a labor camp
It was the WNBA star’s first visit in months. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling. She is said to have brought vape cartridges filled with cannabis to Russia. She was arrested at Moscow airport in February. A court last week rejected an appeal against her nine-year sentence.
Griner and Whelan were to be traded for a Russian arms dealer imprisoned in the US. In view of the increasing tensions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this has not happened so far. If there is no exchange or another appointment, Griner is threatened with transfer to one of the Russian labor camps for prisoners.