Vladimir Putin INSISTS Imprisoned WNBA Star Brittney Griner Is NOT A Hostage

June 21 2022, Published 12:06 p.m. ET
Vladimir Putinâs spokesperson announced this week that imprisoned WNBA star Brittney Griner is not a hostage, although he failed to indicate when she will be released from Russian custody, Breaking Celebrity News has learned.
In a startling development taking place more than three months after Griner was first detained by Russian authorities in a Moscow airport, President Putinâs spokesman insisted that the 31-year-old WNBA star âviolated Russian lawâ and is now being âprosecutedâ for her alleged crimes.

âShe violated Russian law, and now sheâs being prosecuted,â Dmitry Peskov, Putinâs spokesman, said on Monday. âItâs not about being a hostage.â
âThere are lots of American citizens here,â he continued. âTheyâre enjoying their freedoms...but you have to obey the laws.â
Peskov also insisted that Griner is no different than âhundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens that were sentenced for carrying hashish.â
âWhy should we make an exemption for a foreign citizen?â he questioned.

As Breaking Celebrity News previously reported, Griner was arrested on February 17 after getting off a plane at a Moscow airport after traveling to the country to participate in their professional female basketball league.
She was accused of smuggling drugs into Russia after a hashish oil vape pen was allegedly found in her luggage. She was then quickly detained by Russian authorities.
The United States Department of State previously accused Russia of holding the professional athlete as a hostage, and the State Dept. determined that Griner was âwrongfully detainedâ in May before transferring her case to the State Department Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
Griner was also held in Russian custody for an entire 34 days before she was granted access to U.S. officials.

Ned Price, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, was able to see Griner in late March. He claimed that he checked on the imprisoned American athleteâs condition, and found that she was doing âokayâ despite the traumatic and frightening experience.
"There's only so much I can say," Price said during an interview on March 23, "but what I can say is that our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition.â
âAnd we will continue to do everything we can to see to it that she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal,â Price added.

Grinerâs case suffered another legal setback in May when Russia extended the athleteâs pretrial detention by one month. She is potentially facing up to 10 years in a Russian prison if found guilty of the allegations.
During his interview on Monday, Peskov further claimed he couldnât provide a date regarding Grinerâs release because he âcouldnât comment on Russian law enforcementâs decision.â
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