WNBA star Brittany GrinerThe basketball court will not be returning anytime soon.
A Russian court has extended her pre-trial detention by one month, her lawyer says.
In February, Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for possessing vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil. Griner, if convicted could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years imprisonment in Russia.
Griner, 31 years old, appeared at a short hearing held on May 13. Griner, a Phoenix Mercury Star, was placed in handcuffs and wore a hoodie. She stood with her head low. Her lawyer, Alexander Boykov, later told the Associated Press that he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated that her case would come to trial soon.
Boykov said that he did not hear any complaints regarding the conditions of detention from his client at the hearing.
U.S. officials are working hard to get Griner released. Griner was detained in February amid rising tensions about Russia’s invasion Ukraine. U.S. State Department spokesperson said that Brittney griner had been “wrongfully detained” Ned PriceIn a press conference on May 11, she stated this. We are closely following her case.”