Picture Credit: WNBA
The United States on Tuesday accused Russia of "wrongfully" detaining basketball star Brittney Griner. Notably, the WNBA star was detained amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The US Department said that Griner’s case was being turned over to the US special envoy in charge of hostages, Roger Carstens.
“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained US citizen Brittney Griner," a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further added that the State Department would provide support to Griner.
Meanwhile, WNBA has announced that they will honour the basketball star at all venues for the start of the season by featuring Griner's initials and jersey number 42 on the sidelines.
"As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
"We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time," she said.
Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion. The Phoenix Mercury player was detained at Moscow's airport on February 17 on charges of carrying cannabis oil and vape cartridges illegally in Russia.