Official Spokesperson Breaks Silence, Says U.S. is Being ‘Disrespectful’ Towards Russian Law in Brittney Griner ‘Wrongful Detention’ Case

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, spoke on Thursday on the U.S.’s characterization of the Russian detention of Britney Griner calling it disrespectful.

“If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was smuggling drugs, and she does not deny this, then this should be commensurate with our Russian, local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington,” Zakharova shared.

“You understand, if drugs are legalized in the United States, in a number of states, and this is done for a long time, and now the whole country will become drug-addicted, this does not mean that all other countries are following the same path,” she added.

Zakharova statement shared the sentiment that she and the Russian Foreign Ministery, believe the U.S. is being disrespectful by not acknowledging Russian law. Griner came into Russia with cannabis in her luggage when she was detained as she was violating Russian law.

It seems this statement may be in response to the executive order Joe Biden signed on Tuesday. We reported on the executive order titled “Bolstering Efforts to Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home”:

With mounting pressure coming to the White House to bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner, Joe Biden signed an executive order this morning aimed at deterring other nations from taking U.S. Hostages or those wrongfully detained.

Griner’s detention in Russia has been classified as “wrongfully detained”. Griner was taken into custody, in February, at a Moscow airport when cannabis products were found in her luggage. Earlier this month she pled guilty to the charges against her while adding she didn’t intend to break the law.

This move as we reported earlier has been speculated by some, potentially eliminating her from claiming she is a hostage but still leaves her in the wrongfully detained category.

The introduction of the executive order reads:

“Terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors who take hostages for financial, political, or other gain — as well as foreign states that engage in the practice of wrongful detention, including for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States — threaten the integrity of the international political system and the safety of United States nationals and other persons abroad.  I therefore determine that hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of United States nationals abroad constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.  I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with this threat.”

Biden’s executive order has very strong language in it, it seems Russia received the message and responded calling it disrespectful.