WNBA star Brittney Griner’s Russian authorized case might have come to an finish on Tuesday when her enchantment was denied, however the basketball champion’s supporters are letting the world know they nonetheless have her again.

In response to Yahoo!, on Thursday, members of the group DC Marijuana Justice confirmed up exterior the Russian embassy in Washington DC to protest Griner’s wrongful detainment by holding a “smoke out.” Starting at 4:20 p.m. ET—due to course, that’s the time they selected—protesters smoked marijuana and displayed a 51-foot inflatable joint that learn “Free Britney Griner and the Russians from Putin” on one aspect and “Free 420 Prisoners” on the opposite.

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“Simply because it’s unacceptable for Individuals to sit down behind bars for easy possession of hashish, it’s completely unacceptable for an American sitting in a Russian gulag,” DC Marijuana Justice co-founder Adam Eidinger advised The Washington Submit. “We really feel compelled to protest the Russian Federation and President Putin, who’s clearly utilizing an American citizen as a pawn in his conflict in opposition to Ukraine.”

The Phoenix Mercury middle has been wrongfully detained in Russia since Feb. 17, when police stopped her at a Moscow airport and claimed they discovered vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her baggage. After pleading responsible throughout her trial, the WNBA star was sentenced to 9 years in jail for drug smuggling and possession. On Tuesday, her enchantment was denied, that means she’ll now be headed to a jail or labor camp whereas she serves her time and waits to see if a prisoner trade may be negotiated between Russia and the U.S.

Whereas I’m glad to see the eight-time WNBA All-Star’s scenario keep within the headlines, I can’t shake the sensation {that a} considerably performative protest like this isn’t going to assist the State Division throughout its talks with the Russian authorities. Nonetheless, it does remind Brittney that she’s not forgotten, which is the most effective factor we are able to do for her proper now.

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