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State Department Details Visit With WNBA Star Brittney Griner in Russian Detention

The WNBA star is said to be doing “as well as can be expected” after her pre-trial detention was extended.

A consular officer with the U.S. State Department visited Brittney Griner in Russian detention this week to assess how the WNBA star is doing after her “unlawful” arrest at a Moscow airport. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said it was the second visit in a week, and Griner was found to be doing “as well as could be expected under these exceedingly challenging circumstances,” ESPN reports. He went on to demand that Moscow allow “consistent and timely consular access,” adding that, “one-off visits are not sufficient, and we will continue to call on Moscow to uphold its commitments under the Vienna Convention for consistent and timely access as well.” News of the visits comes after Griner’s pre-trial detention was extended by one month earlier this week. Russian authorities detained her at a Moscow-area airport in February, alleging she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil and charging her with drug possession—a charge that carries a sentence of up to ten years behind bars. The Biden administration has said she was “wrongfully detained.”