At a news conference Friday, ahead of All-Star festivities in Chicago, the WNBA stepped up its campaign for the release of Brittney Griner from her detention in Russia.
Returning to play basketball in Russia, Griner, 31, was first detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February. Police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
Speaking through an interpreter, Griner told the court Thursday she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry. The trial was then adjourned until July 14."BG has taken accountability, and now it is time -- past time -- for this to come to a conclusion," Jackson said.
Griner's detention comes at a low point in relations between the United States and Russia. The State Department's designation of Griner as wrongfully detained put her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government's chief hostage negotiator.
"At this point I am in the position where I understand that what they are doing is very challenging due to the circumstances with Russia and the United States right now," Cherelle Griner said."And so I want to make it very clear that our next move as supporters for BG is to make sure that the administration understands that they have our full support in doing any and everything necessary to be able to bring BG home as well as every other wrongfully detained American.
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