MOSCOW (AP) – WNBA star Britney Greener will remain in Russian custody until July 2, Russian state news agency Tass reported Tuesday.
The 31-year-old American basketball player has been in Russia since February, when he was arrested at a Moscow airport after authorities said he had cartridges containing hemp oil. Last month, the U.S. State Department reclassified him as an illegal detainee.
The Moscow Region Khimka District Court extended Greener’s detention for the third time, Tass reported, citing a Russian diplomat who said Moscow would not consider involving Greener in the prisoner exchange “until his case is investigated”. Finished. “
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to Tass, responded to U.S. media reports that the Biden administration had offered to replace convicted arms dealer Victor Butt Greener. Ryabkov did not specify a timeline for the player’s case.
Greener’s supporters continue to be Advocates for his release Some have expressed concern that Moscow could use him as a bargaining chip amid war tensions in Ukraine.
Greener, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who played in Russia during the WNBA off-season, has been charged with “significant drug trafficking” which carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison in Russia.
A Houston resident is playing Phoenix Mercury.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday that he said department officials learned of his continued detention only through Tass, who he said was problematic.
“This case has a problem from top to bottom,” he said. “That’s why we describe Britney Greener as illegal detention. That is why we are doing everything possible to find and influence his speedy release from Russian custody ”.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.