WNBA Player Arrested In Russia: What Was WNBA Player Doing In Russia?

WNBA Player, Brittney Griner, has been detained in Russia since February, when vape cartridges containing hashish oil were allegedly found in her luggage.

The State Department has now classified WNBA star Brittney Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia and her case is being handled by the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) Roger Carstens.

The SPEHA office leads and coordinates the government’s diplomatic efforts aimed at securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad, and the shift to their office means more flexibility in efforts to negotiate her freedom, as they do not necessarily have to wait for Russian legal proceedings to play out.

Carstens and his team played a major role in securing the release of US citizen and Marine veteran Trevor Reed from Russia last week.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday the decision to classify Griner as wrongfully detained was made “in coordination with the hostage negotiator [Carstens] and the State Department.”

Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement, “Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home.”

A WNBA spokesperson said the league views Tuesday’s news as a “positive development and a next step to getting her home.”

In addition to work by the Biden administration, the Richardson Center, which privately advocates on behalf of families of hostages and detainees and were involved in getting Reed home, is also working on behalf of the Griner family to try to secure her release.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a star for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, plays for Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason.