The U.S. government has indicated it will not wait for the Russian legal system to handle Brittney Griner’s case, stating the star basketballer is “wrongfully detained.”
“The Department of State has determined the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson said to The Washington Post. “The U.S. government will continue to undertake efforts to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner.”
A State Department official is quoted in ESPN as saying, “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”
The official said that Brittney is not currently classified as a hostage.
Brittney Griner has been held in Russian custody for almost three months. She was arrested at an airport near Moscow for allegedly bringing hashish oil into Russia via vape cartridges. The alleged crime could mean a prison sentence of up to 10 years for Brittney.
Brian Whitmore, from the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and the University of Texas, said that Brittney Griner’s case now being classified as “wrongful detainment” was “unquestionably” a “good development” towards her release.
“It suggests maybe something is in the works, or maybe [U.S. officials] are putting pressure on the Russians…Either way, the U.S. government appears to be changing its tack on this case.”
Tom Firestone, a partner at Stroock Stroock and Lavan law firm and former resident legal adviser to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said, “It shows the U.S. government is considering her case at a very high level. In that sense, it’s a positive.”
He warns us not to draw conclusions, however. “On the other hand, it could indicate they found reason to believe there is something wrong with her case in Russia. We don’t know what that is. They may think the case is not being treated appropriately and cannot be resolved fairly through the Russian judicial system.”
The change in the case’s status could lead to a change in tactic for the U.S. government and Griner’s representatives. So far, they’ve kept a low public profile while information about the case was revealed.
“The change in official designation means that the U.S. government will no longer wait for Griner’s case to play out through the Russian legal system and will seek to negotiate her return,” according to ESPN. “It also means that Griner’s fellow WNBA players and supporters in Congress will be told they have the family’s blessing to bring as much attention to her case as they wish.”
Press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that “Typically — and I don’t believe this will change — in order to leave the space to have an outcome we all want and desire — which is to bring her and any American detained or unjustifiably detained home — we typically don’t talk about it extensively.”
Those close to Brittney hope the new classification is a move towards her release, but are remaining realistic. “We feel really good about [the ‘wrongful detainment’ classification],” someone close to Griner is quoted as saying to ESPN, “but we also know it can drag out, so we don’t want to get our hopes too high.”
“It has been 75 days that our friend, teammate, sister, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia. It is time for her to come home,” ESPN reported Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the WNBA players’ union, as saying. “Having learned that the U.S. government has now determined that BG is being wrongfully detained we are hopeful that their efforts will be significant, swift and successful.”
Officials and other informed sources are remaining quiet on what led to the significant shift in Brittney Griner’s case.
A court hearing is scheduled for May 19.
