Russia is speaking out against the United States in the Brittney Griner case, just one day after the Phoenix Mercury star was front and center at the ESPYs.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that the United States’ designation of Griner as “arrested by mistake” shows a blatant disregard for Russian law. Although marijuana is legal in different places, Zakharova said, it doesn’t matter at all in Russia.
“If a U.S. citizen was arrested because he was smuggling drugs, and he did not deny this, then this should be according to our Russian, local laws, not the one adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington.”, said Zakharova, via The Associated Press.
Griner was first arrested in February after authorities said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in his bag at a Moscow airport. He has been in Russian custody since then, and faces up to 10 years in prison. His trial will continue next week.
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Griner sued, even though the plan was widely expected. He admitted to having the vape cartridges in court, but said he had no intention of breaking the law.
The United States government has declared Griner a citizen “wrongfully detained”, and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is working to secure his release. There are reports that Russia is willing to exchange Griner for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Stephen Curry, Megan Rapinoe, Skylar Diggins-Smith and others called for Brittney Griner’s release throughout the ESPYs on Wednesday night. (Washington Post/Getty Images)
Stephen Curry, others call for Brittney Griner’s release at ESPYs
Hours before Zakharova spoke, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry joined many others in the sports world to call for Griner’s release from the ESPYs. This may interest you : How to recover from work stress, according to science.
Curry hosted ESPN’s annual awards show on Wednesday night from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
“But as we hope for the best, we encourage the entire world sports community to continue to stay active on his behalf,” Curry said. “Brittney’s not just a member of the Phoenix Mercury. She’s not just a member of her Russian team. She’s not just an Olympian. She’s one of us, the team of athletes in this room tonight and everywhere. The world. The team. that has nothing to do with politics or world conflicts.”
Skylar Diggins-Smith was one of several WNBA players who spoke during the show.
“It’s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully held thousands of miles away from home, away from his family, away from his friends, away from his team,” Diggins said. -Smith. “All that time, we’ve kept him in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know it’s not enough to bring him home, y’all.”
USWNT star Megan Rapinoe, who won an ESPY for Best Play, also spoke.
“I think really what we saw tonight is the importance of sports and how much we can bring and how much we can do in the world with our collective power,” Rapinoe said. “I think to me, the biggest surprise is that BG is not there… Every time we say his name, every time he’s on social media, every time we say in talks, it puts pressure on everyone. It puts pressure on everyone. system, it puts pressure on Russia. It puts pressure on Putin. It puts pressure on everyone.
“To let BG know, above all else, that we love him and that we miss him and that we’re thinking about him all the time. We’re doing everything we can to get him out, because that’s the most important thing.”
