Brittney Griner Reclassified As 'Wrongfully Detained.' Here's What That Could Mean

The U.S. government has now declared that WNBA Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is being “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government and efforts are underway to bring her back home, ESPN reports. U.S. government officials did not disclose the reason for Griner’s reclassification.

As Blavity previously reported, Griner was arrested at the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow in February when Russia’s Customs Service accused her of being in possession of hash oil.

Since the U.S. government modified her official designation, the administration is no longer waiting for Griner’s case to process through the Russian courts.

“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release,” a State Department official told ESPN.

Now, legal experts are saying Griner’s reclassification could possibly signify that she was not in possession of the illegal hash oil.

“The United States government has historically been very clear even when it comes to high-level celebrities and athletes—you have to follow the rules of the country you’re in when it comes to use and possession of drugs. Even something, like marijuana, that is legal in many states in the United States, it’s not something that the American government is going to rush to anyone’s defense when they use it in a country where it is illegal and punishable by jail time,” Aron Solomon, J.D., head of strategy at Esquire Digital, told Blavity.

“It seems like a logical conclusion to reach to say that if the United States government knew that Brittney Griner was being detained for trafficking amounts of a drug, which was the Russian government original claim, that they would not classify this as a wrongful detention,” Solomon added.

Solomon continued, saying that Russia could be requesting for the U.S. to relax some of the economic sanctions against the country in exchange for Griner.

“It would be great if the American government had something that they could offer in an immediate trade for Brittney Griner that would effectuate a release,” he said, adding that the reclassification still doesn’t signal Griner’s quick release.

The U.S. and other nations have issued economic sanctions against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and politicians including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) suggested Vladimir Putin would use Griner as a “negotiating chip,” according to The Hill.

Currently, no indictments have been placed against Griner and her next hearing is scheduled for May 19.