US representative says he’s “extremely concerned” over Brittney Griner’s Russia detainment
US representative Colin Allred said the Russian detainment of Olympic athlete Brittney Griner was “extremely concerning.” Back in February, the openly gay basketball player was taken into custody for allegedly carrying hashish oil in her luggage.
However, the Russian Federal Customs Service didn’t announce Griner’s arrest until three weeks later. “As a US citizen was passing through the green channel at Sheremetyevo Airport upon arriving from New York, a working dog from the Sheremetyevo Customs canine department detected the possible presence of narcotic substances in the accompanying luggage,” customs officials said.
Alongside their statement, the authorities released a video that allegedly featured the player walking through security. If she’s convicted for “transporting drugs”, the 32-year old could potentially face up to 10 years in prison.
In a recent interview with Don Lemon of CNN, Allred revealed that his consular access requests to Griner have been denied for the past three weeks. “For Brittney’s sake, we don’t want her to become part of this kind of political battle that’s going on, and we want to make sure that her rights are respected and that we are able to get access to her, and that she can get through the process and get home as quickly as possible,” he explained.
