Washington warns of the risk of arbitrary arrest of Americans in Russia

U.S. citizens in Russia are at risk of being arbitrarily arrested by authorities, the State Department warned on Tuesday, renewing its call not to leave the country or leave immediately.

The State Department has warned of possible “arrests” and “arbitrary enforcement of local law” by Russian security forces due to Washington’s stance on the Russian invasion and sanctions on Ukraine. Moscow.

The warning comes after US basketball star Britney Greiner was detained in Russia for more than a month.

He was arrested on February 17 at an airport near Moscow, according to Russian custom, with “vaporizers and a specific odor” of cannabis oil.

Considered one of the best players in the world, he faces up to ten years in prison. She is being held in a detention center, from which she will not be able to leave before May 19 on a Russian court order.

The double Olympic medalist, apparently a lesbian, was arrested and released to the public on March 5, two weeks later. Meanwhile, Russian forces invaded Ukraine, which triggered an international crisis and significant US sanctions against Moscow.

Washington fears the player will be used as a tool of pressure in the conflict, and has had the lowest profile ever in his case.

An official from the US embassy in Moscow met her for the first time on March 23 and found that she was “in good health.”