A U.S. Embassy official in Moscow described U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner as "in good condition” after a recent visit with her in a Russian detention center, CNN reports.
The March 22 visit was the first official government contact with Griner since her Feb. 17 arrest at a Moscow airport on accusations of drug smuggling, CNN reports. Griner's legal team has met with her several times a week since her arrest, according to CNN.
"Our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition and we will continue to do everything we can to see to that it she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal," US State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN on March 23. Price said the U.S. embassy will "continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly," CNN reports.
Russia's state-owned news agency TASS reported Russian authorities were ready to "create all conditions" for consul access but the U.S. didn't request a visit with Griner. The State Department denies the allegations, stating U.S. embassy officials in Moscow "have consistently and improperly been denied access for months" to Griner, as well as US citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, who are also being detained in Russia, CNN reports.
TASS also reports a Russian court has ruled Griner will remain in Russian custody until May 19.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and player for the WBNA's Phoenix Mercury, has played since 2015 for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA's off- season, CNN reports.
