Today (May 13), WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared before a judge in a Russian courtroom and was told that her pre-trial detention would be extended by a month.
Griner’s hearing was previously scheduled for May 19 and with less than a week to go, the athlete was informed that she would have to wait a while longer.
As previously reported by REVOLT, in February, Griner was traveling overseas when she was detained in a Russian airport for allegedly having vape cartridges containing cannabis-derived hash oil. The infraction can land her a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The 31-year-old basketball player is a center for the Phoenix Mercury but plays with a Russian women’s team during the WNBA’s off-season.
In March, U.S. Congressman Collin Allred gave a public update on her situation saying, “Right now, we want to see her treated normally as anyone else would be and come home as soon as possible.” He continued, “We have to make sure that she’s treated as anyone else would be and she’s not a symbol or a hostage or anything like that.”
WNBA legend and friend Lisa Leslie also spoke out about Griner’s situation, mentioning that players were told to not “make a big fuss” of it. Leslie elaborated that highlighting the situation could lead Russian officials to try and make an example out of Griner and use her as a pawn.
Last week, reports circulated that U.S. officials considered Griner “wrongfully detained.”
Today, she was seen being led in handcuffs, shielding her face with an orange hoodie as she left the courthouse in Moscow.
No new trial date has been set and sources say Russian officials may be purposefully elongating the process, adding that her case is relatively simple and could have already been handled.
For now, we are hoping for the best in Griner’s case.