was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February while returning to play basketball in Russia. Police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. In custody ever since, Griner, 31, faces charges that could bring her a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said they were doing all they could to win the release of Griner, as well as other Americans the U.S. considers "wrongly detained" by Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan.Washington may have little leverage with Moscow, though, because of strong animosity over its military operation in Ukraine., nicknamed "the Merchant of Death," who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S.
The State Department’s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator. The classification has irritated Russia.Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S.
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