Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:10 PM Kremlin's spokesman denies that WNBA star Brittney Griner is a 'hostage' trends now
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refuted the suggestion that the arrest and detainment of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia amounts to political imprisonment.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News that aired on Monday, Peskov claimed Griner is only being held captive for breaking the law.
And he equated her predicament with, 'hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens that were sentenced for carrying hashish.'
'Why should we make an exemption for a foreign citizen?' Peskov argued.
Griner, 31, was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after authorities there said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
NBC News' Keir Simmons observed that the US government is essentially treating Griner's detention like a hostage situation, but Peskov dodged.
'She violated Russian law, and now she's being prosecuted,' Peskov told NBC. 'It's not about being a hostage. There are lots of American citizens here. They're enjoying their freedoms … but you have to obey the laws.'
The top Kremlin spokesman added that he strongly disagreed with the State Department's reclassification in May of Griner's arrest as 'wrongfully detained.'
During the interview, Peskov also said that Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, two Americans captured in Ukraine while fighting against the Kremlin invasion, had 'endangered' Russian soldiers and should be 'held accountable for those crimes.'
When pressed on what crimes the Americans had committed, Peskov admitted their specific offenses were not yet known but claimed that they would not be covered by the Geneva conventions on prisoners of war because they were not part of the Ukrainian Army.
Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refuted the US State Department's classification of WNBA star Brittney Griner's arrest as political imprisonment.
Griner, 31, was detained at a Russian airport on February 17 after authorities there said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil
The WNBA star (pictured at the Tokyo Olympics) had traveled to join the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason
When asked to comment on the potential 'terrible message' sent by Griner's imprisonment after she traveled to join the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason, Peskov disregarded the criticism.
'It is also a terrible message to bring some forbidden essences and materials to this country,' he said.
A phone call between Griner
