In Russia, the American Olympic champion was arrested: the trial of her is constantly postponed

On February 17, American basketball star Britney Griner was taken into custody in Russia. She is still in prison. The last time her detention was extended until July 2. Why experts say her hearing will 'never take place' Insider.

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The conclusion of the WNBA legend abroad officially extended until at least July 2. This is the second time in the past month that the Russian government has extended her pre-trial detention. The legal expert is convinced that the July 2 deadline is "as fictional as any other date."

“Anyone who still takes Russia at its word in the Griner case is acting stupid,” said Aron Solomon, chief legal analyst at Esquire Digital. “This ‘hearing’ will never happen.”

“Either she will be secretly found guilty and sent to a POW camp, or she will be exchanged,” he suggested.

Griner was taken into Russian custody on Feb. 17 after customs officers at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport said they found hash oil vape cartridges in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison. Solomon has previously stated that the two-time Olympian "will not be given a fair and impartial trial."

The administration of US President Joe Biden worked to negotiate her release and safe return to the US in the days following her arrest. But in early May, the US changed its approach by officially declaring Griner "wrongfully detained."

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The "wrongfully detained" designation has allowed friends, family, teammates and supporters of the seven-time All-Star to openly campaign for her return to the States. Griner's wife, Cherell, has made several television appearances in recent weeks trying to draw attention to the case.

During a recent trip to Washington, DC, teammates met with representatives from the US State Department, as well as Congressman Greg Stanton of Arizona and US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, to discuss the celebrity case.

As a result, President Joe Biden and his administration are considered the only organization capable of securing Greener's freedom. Cherell Griner publicly regretted not talking to Biden about her wife's case. She really wants to do this to help get her back.

Following this latest extension, Griner's agent Lindsey Kagawa Colas urged Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to "act without delay and do everything possible" to free the WNBA star from Russian captivity.

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Solomon previously said that the key to Griner's release is likely to be the participation of the US and Russia in a "political prisoner exchange" similar to the one in which another US prisoner, Trevor Reed, was released in April. Russian state media have speculated that the superstar may be part of a deal for Viktor Bout, the infamous arms dealer who has been nicknamed the "dealer of death."

Griner was first arrested while on a trip to Russia to play for European club UMMC Ekaterinburg, as she has done every winter since 2014. Like about half of her fellow WNBA players, Griner travels overseas to supplement her relatively modest WNBA salary.

While she earns her maximum annual base salary of $227 from the Mercury, Griner earned a whopping $900 million per season at UMMC Ekaterinburg, according to Arizona Republic's Jeff Metcalf.

Griner's arrest and subsequent detention shocked the entire WNBA community. But nowhere was her absence more noticeable than on her team, where the Texas native had the same impact on people as she did on the playground.

"She's like a sister to me," said Mercury teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith. “I think about her every day and can’t wait for her to come back to us.”

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