PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 13: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates with fans following Game Two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Sky 91-86 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Brittney Griner’s agent spoke out Tuesday after the WNBA superstar’s Russian detention was extended for another few weeks.
Lindsay Kagawa Colas wrote on Twitter the decision was just further proof the Phoenix Mercury center was "being used as a political pawn." She called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to act with urgency in bringing the basketball player home from Moscow.
MORE: Brittney Griner’s wife calls on Biden to help in WNBA star's release
"Today's extension is just further reinforcement that Brittney Griner - an Olympian and an American citizen - is being used as a political pawn," Kagawa-Colas tweeted. "Her detention is inhumane and unacceptable. She has not had a single phone call in her 117 days of wrongful detention, and we call on @POTUS and @VP to act with urgency and do whatever it takes to bring Brittney home immediately."
Griner was arrested in February for allegedly trying to bring vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport. She’s been held ever since with limited public appearances. A Moscow court extended Griner’s detention until July 2. It was the third time her detention has been extended, Russian state-run media TASS reported.
It has been rumored Griner would potentially be involved in a detainee swap involving Viktor Bout, who is in the middle of a 25-year sentence in federal prison after he was convicted of conspiracy to kill Americans relating to the support of a Colombian terrorist organization.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said officials will not consider Griner for a prisoner swap with the U.S. "until a court investigation into her case is completed," according to TASS.
Griner could face up to 10 years in a Russian prison if she’s convicted.
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Watch: Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner detained in Russia after vapes found in luggage
Phoenix Mercury player and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been jailed in Russia after vape cartridges were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport, according to multiple reports. A Russian news agency reported that Griner could spend 5 to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, according to the New York Post. Credit: Federal Customs Service of Russia via Storyful