President Vladimir Putin’s top spokesperson gave no indication Monday that WNBA star Brittney Griner will be released soon after Russian authorities say they found hashish oil in her luggage.
The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, disputed in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Keir Simmons the U.S. State Department’s position that Griner is a Russian hostage.
Griner, he said, was no different from “hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens that were sentenced for carrying hashish.”
“Why should we make an exemption for a foreign citizen?” he added.
In February, Griner, 31, was detained after she landed in Moscow and authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing the cannabis derivative. The offense could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison in Russia.
The Peskov interview took place in Moscow, where the government is cracking down on journalists and limiting what reporters can say under threat of imprisonment.
In May, the State Department reclassified Griner as “wrongfully detained” and transferred oversight of her case to the State Department Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA.
“She violated Russian law and now she’s being prosecuted,” Peskov said. “It’s not about being a hostage. There are lots of American citizens here. They’re enjoying their freedoms… but you have to obey the laws.”
Asked why Russia hadn’t just sent Griner home or refused her entry, Peskov said he couldn’t comment on Russian law enforcement’s decision.
Griner’s legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
She was in Russia to play in the country’s professional league during the WNBA’s off-season, and her detention has been extended three times. The most recent extension is leaving her behind bars until at least July 2, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Her teammates, family and fans have pushed for her release amid fears the star center for the Phoenix Mercury is being used to gain leverage in Russia’s confrontation with the United States.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said earlier this month that “it remains clear that BG is being used as a political pawn,” and she urged President Joe Biden to do whatever is necessary to bring her home.
Griner has won two Olympic gold medals, a WNBA championship with the Mercury and a national title at Baylor University. The 6-foot-9 native of Houston is ranked as one of the top 25 WNBA players of all time since its founding in 1996.
Russian state news agency Tass reported last month that Griner could be exchanged for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.
NBC News was not able to confirm this report, and Peskov said he had no information about whether any possible swaps were in the works. But he called Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S., “a real hostage” who has been kept in the American prison for more than a decade.
In April, Russia released the former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed in a prisoner exchange that saw President Joe Biden commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving time in Connecticut.
Separately, Peskov appeared to agree with the NATO conclusion that the conflict in Ukraine could become a long one.
“If you speak about the problem of security, of the continental security and global security, yes, it will be a long-lasting crisis,” he said. “Russia will insist… that its security is ensured. Russia will insist and we will never trust the West anymore.”
Laura Saravia and Natasha Lebedeva contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
