Who is the American basketball player detained in Russia and why so little is known about her case

Amid the invasion of Ukraine and international condemnation of the actions of Vladimir Putin's regime, a new case puts more strain on the US-Russian relationship: the arrest of basketball player Brittney Griner.

Griner is a member of the WNBA, the women's basketball league in the United States. She plays for Phoenix Mercury, the Arizona team, where she has stood out as the player with second place in points scored during the matches and the main blocker. Despite his prolific sports career, Griner's arrest in Russia remains a major nebula in the United States.

She is presumed to have been arrested on February 17, but the date may not be correct. According to security cameras at Moscow airport, Griner was trying to enter the country when authorities began to search his suitcase. The player was allegedly in possession of an electronic cigarette whose charge contained hashish oil, a cannabis derivative, which was considered illegal in Russia.

Since then, the US consular authorities have not had access to it, although they have just confirmed that they receive regular reports on their situation. Under Russian law, a detainee can spend between 12 and 18 months before going to trial. Once the trial passes, if found guilty, the penalty for bringing illegal drugs into the country could be up to 10 years for the 31-year-old girl.

The American press has said very little about this arrest. The WNBA has only issued a brief statement in which they do not give any details.

“We are aware of the situation in Russia with one of the members of our organization, Brittney Griner. Our greatest concern is the safety and well-being of BG. We send him our love and support. We will continue to monitor their situation pending their return to the United States,” they say in the statement.

Until today, no one had made any other official statement about it. But in the morning, the state department issued its first communiqué about it with a specific request for the Russian government.

“We urge the Russian government to give us consular access to all U.S. citizens detained in Russia, including those in the pre-trial instance, as is the case with Brittney Griner.”

There is speculation that the strategy of keeping a low profile in the case is due to the fact that if the whole country is awaiting this arrest, Brittney Griner would become an important letter of political negotiation. Perhaps that is why her family has not appeared in the media either, although close to the athlete have stressed that they know she is in good condition.

The fear is that while the rule of law is supposed to exist in Russia, where laws are enforced, at this point it is clear that if Putin wants to break the laws, he can do so. And if Griner becomes even more valuable to the United States, Putin could further complicate the legal situation of the young detainee.

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