MOSCOW — US basketball star Brittney Griner’s authorized workforce has seen her a number of instances every week all through her detention in Russia and so they reported that she is nicely, a supply near the state of affairs advised CNN Thursday.

Information of Griner’s situation comes after a Moscow court docket introduced it prolonged the arrest of Griner till Might 19, based on Russian state information company TASS.

“The court docket granted the request of the investigation and prolonged the interval of detention of the US citizen Griner till Might 19,” the court docket stated, per TASS.

The supply added that the Russian investigation is ongoing, and a trial date has not been set.

In keeping with Russian authorities, the two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested on allegations of drug smuggling important quantities of narcotic substance at a Moscow airport. US Rep. Colin Allred of Texas stated she was arrested February 17.

Russia has a historical past of constructing false prices in different circumstances, specialists say.

“There have been loads of allegations of planting of gear on individuals, notably on the a part of human rights advocates,” says Peter Maggs, a legislation professor on the College of Illinois and an knowledgeable on Russia’s civil code.

The State Division in February warned Individuals towards going there, noting arrests of US residents on “spurious prices.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes every thing harder, observers say.

TASS additionally quoted Ekaterina Kalugina, who it stated represented Moscow’s Public Monitoring Fee (ONK), which observes the remedy of prisoners.

A court docket advocate stated Griner ought to be saved underneath home arrest as a result of their jail beds are a foot too brief for Griner, who’s 6 toes 9 inches tall, based on the Russian information service RIA Novosti.

In keeping with TASS, Kalugina visited Griner at her pretrial detention heart. Kalugina was additionally quoted as saying the US consul has not visited the 31-year-old, regardless of Russian authorities’ willingness to “create all circumstances” for his or her go to.

Earlier this month, Allred advised ESPN that Griner had not been granted consular entry — a circumstance he known as “actually uncommon.”

The US State Division official advised CNN on Thursday that Russia should present consular entry to Griner and all US residents detained in Russia, together with these in pretrial detention.

“We’ve got repeatedly requested for consular entry to those detainees and have persistently been denied entry,” the official stated. “Russia should abide by its authorized obligations and permit us to supply consular providers for U.S. residents detained in Russia.”

On Wednesday, former first woman and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton grew to become the most recent US politician to name for her launch, sharing an article on Griner with the caption “Free Brittney” in a submit on Twitter.

Griner performs for the Russian workforce UMMC Ekaterinburg. Griner has performed with the workforce since 2015 through the WNBA offseason. In 5 video games this season, she has averaged 13.2 factors and 4.2 rebounds per recreation.

In 2014, the American Iranian journalist Jason Rezaian was detained in Tehran and spent 544 days in Iran’s infamous Evin Jail.

The Washington Submit reporter was ultimately launched in January 2016, and he says he sees many parallels between his case and Griner’s.

“It is probably the most audacious hostage taking by a state possible,” Rezaian advised CNN.

“I do know from my very own case that the supposed prices towards me weren’t based mostly in something like actuality, and so they have been used to perpetuate a story about why I used to be being held.”

Griner’s spouse, Cherelle Griner, has publicly known as for Brittney’s launch.

USA Basketball, the Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Affiliation (WNBA), the Phoenix Mercury and the WNBA gamers’ union have all publicly shared their considerations for Griner.

The video within the participant above is from a earlier report.

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