Jailed basketball star should face law like everyone else: Kremlin

US women’s basketball icon Brittney Griner isn’t “Hostage” and should not be treated differently in her Russian drug case just because she is a foreigner, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Griner, 31, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February when banned cannabis oil vape cartridges were found in her luggage.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist had come to Russia in the WNBA offseason to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg – something she has been doing since 2014.

Griner’s detention was extended by a judge last week until at least July 2 as her case is investigated, while some in her home country accuse Russia of holding her prisoner “political hostage”.

That claim was denied by Kremlin spokesman Peskov in an interview broadcast on Monday MSNBC.

Accused by Keir Simmons’ interviewer of sending the wrong signal by imprisoning Griner, Peskov replied: “It’s also a terrible message to bring some forbidden essences and materials into this country while trying to build bridges [through sport].”

“It will be prosecuted under Russian law” added Peskov. “Russia is not the only country in the world that has strict laws in this sense, there are a number of countries where you are not allowed to enter with any drugs, in fact, it is prosecuted by law.”

When asked if Griner was a political pawn, the Kremlin spokesman replied “We can’t call her a hostage. She broke Russian law and now she is being prosecuted, this is not about being a hostage.”

Peskov noted that Griner would be charged the same way as any Russian and asked why “Liberation” should be made because she is a foreign citizen.

“There are many American citizens here [in Russia]. They enjoy their freedoms… but you have to obey the law.” said the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin.

Griner’s case has garnered more attention in the US, with displays at WNBA games featuring slogans of support.

In May, the US State Department designated Griner as “wrongly imprisoned” Transferring her case to the President’s special envoy for hostage affairs.

There have been unconfirmed reports in Russian media that Griner may be part of a prisoner swap with Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who has been sentenced to 25 years in a US prison on charges of arms smuggling.

However, Peskov said he has no information about possible swap deals, according to NBC.

Meanwhile, Griner’s wife has lashed out at the US government after officials botched a long-awaited phone call over the weekend.

Cherelle Griner was hoping for a call from her wife on Saturday, which was her fourth anniversary and would have been the first time they had spoken since incarceration.

The call never went through, with it later being revealed that the basketball star had tried 11 times to call a number she had been given for the US Embassy in Moscow, which turned out to be idle at the time.

Cherelle Griner said to The Associated Press that he was “Disturbed, hurt and fed up” after their hopes were dashed due to the apparent incompetence of US officials.

“I find it unacceptable and have no faith in our government at the moment,” said the angry spouse.

“If I can’t trust you to take an after-hours Saturday call, how can I trust you to actually negotiate on my wife’s behalf to get home?” Because that’s a much bigger request than getting a Saturday call.”

Cherelle Griner said she was informed that the number given to Brittney Griner was one normally used to handle calls from prisoners on weekdays rather than weekends.

“But mind you, this call was scheduled for almost two weeks – with an appointment over the weekend,” she said, adding that she had fading hopes of meeting US President Joe Biden to discuss the situation.

The apologetic US State Department attributed the fiasco to a “Logistical error” and claimed it was determined to ensure Griner’s release.

Brittney Griner, 31, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and is a three-time WNBA All-Star.

She plays for Phoenix Mercury in the US but came to Russia to appear in a lucrative deal for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

A sniffer dog at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport alerted staff to her luggage and a search found banned hash oil vape cartridges, officials said.

Griner was arrested for drug smuggling, which carries a sentence of between five and 10 years in prison.

At a court hearing in May, lawyers for Griner said her client had no complaints about her prison conditions, although the beds were said to be too small for her 6ft 9in the frame.