PHOENIX — Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner has been denied access to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Russa since her arrest last month, raising concerns among one U.S. crisis management expert.
It’s standard protocol for foreign visitors accused of a crime to be able to communicate with the consulate in that country, said Jonathan Franks of Lucid Public Relations. Franks has been an advisor to families with loved ones in custody overseas.
“The fact she is not being afforded consular access is a hallmark of arbitrary detention,” Franks said.
“If a Russian citizen was arrested on the streets of downtown Phoenix tonight, there is a lengthy manual the State Department has for local law enforcement to explain to them exactly what to do,” Franks said. “We don't hold citizens incommunicado from their embassy in American facilities. We just don't.”
On Wednesday, Griner was notified by Russian authorities they are holding her in custody for at least another two months.
Griner is one of at least three Americans in Russian custody who the U.S. government has publicly expressed concern about.
One of the others is Trevor Reed, a highly decorated former Marine, who went to Russia in August of 2019 to visit a long-term girlfriend.
Reed was arrested by Russian authorities and, according to his advocates, was framed for an alleged assault on a police officer that never took place.
“In Trevor Reed’s case, the case against him was concocted out of thin air,” Franks said.
Reed is serving a nine-year prison sentence.
“The allegations against him were disproven at trial by government traffic camera footage, and government experts, Russian government experts,” Franks said.
Although Franks is not associated with the Brittney Griner case, he is concerned Griner could be a victim to a similar trap.
“I’ve yet to see a stitch of evidence that she’s guilty,” Franks said.
While Griner is in isolation, there are concerns she will be used as a political pawn because of the ongoing war and because of Griner’s background.
“I think that Miss Greiner is certainly at a very high risk being a black woman, being a member of the LGBTQ community,” Franks said.
How Griner is being physically treated is also a concern.
In Trevor Reed’s case, his parents were only allowed to communicate with him after he was in custody for more than 200 days.
According to NBC News, Reed’s parents say since speaking with him, he has told them he has signs of Tuberculosis, is not getting medical care, and is in solitary confinement.
“It’s important to remember that there are a lot of Americans that are being held in situations like these who aren't famous, who don't have a platform,” Franks said. “And we've got to keep them all in mind, right? Because if we don't keep them all in mind, each of us are a little less safe when we leave this country.”
Whether there are diplomatic back channels at work right now on Griner’s behalf is not known. For now, Griner’s family and agent are staying out of the spotlight and saying very little publicly.
According to Franks, there’s a long history of humanitarian gestures in times of conflict between the U.S. and hostage-taking countries.
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