Basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February after she was arrested at a Moscow airport and accused of bringing narcotic substances -- cannabis oil -- to the country. There has been growing concern for her safety and well being since, but an official from the United States embassy in Moscow found Griner to be "in good condition" after contacting her.
According to U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, the embassy was granted consular access on Tuesday.
Here's what he said on the matter, via CNN.
"We will continue to work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly … Our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition and we will continue to do everything we can to see to that it she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal."
Members of the U.S. embassy say there is a reason it took so long for them to be able to make contact with Griner.
The embassy in Moscow claims it had "repeatedly asked" for access to talk to Griner as soon as she was detained but "have consistently and improperly been denied access for months." John Sullivan, a U.S. Ambassador to Russia, eventually "demanded that the government of Russia follow international law and basic human decency to allow consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia, including those in pre-trial detention" to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Griner's arrest was recently extended until at least May 19, according to Russian news agency TASS, but the offense she is accused of is punishable for up to 10 years in prison. No trial date has been set for her case.
