WNBA star Brittney Griner requested President Joe Biden to convey her residence from detention in Russia, the place she is being tried on drug smuggling costs, telling the president in a handwritten letter: “I’m terrified.”
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote.
A spokesperson who launched excerpts of Griner’s letter Monday mentioned the doc was delivered to the president on the White House on Monday. The White House didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the letter.
Griner, 31, a Houston native who’s a middle for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained in February by Russian Federal Customs Service brokers at Sheremetyevo airport close to Moscow. She performs for a Russian staff throughout the WNBA’s offseason.
“I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates!” she wrote to Biden. “It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Russian authorities allege that she was in possession of cannabis-derived vape cartridges. Griner’s representatives haven’t addressed the technical substance of what she is alleged to have possessed, and the road between non-psychoactive cannabidiol — higher often called CBD, which is popular among athletes as a attainable assist in exercise restoration — and psychoactive hashish isn’t acknowledged in Russia. CBD is mostly acknowledged as authorized in the U.S., and the World Anti-Doping Agency eliminated it from its record of prohibited substances in 2018.
In her letter, Griner acknowledged July Fourth as a time to have fun the nation’s freedoms.
“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran,” Griner mentioned. “It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
She implored Biden to proceed working to free her.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” she wrote. “Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”
The White House has been steadfast in its stance that Griner is being wrongfully detained; officers have mentioned they’re working behind the scenes to free her. “The U.S. government continues to work aggressively — using every available means — to bring her home,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson mentioned in a press release Monday, including that the administration is in “regular contact” together with her household.
“National Security Advisor Sullivan has spoken twice with Brittney’s wife over the past two weeks and the White House is closely coordinating with the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney’s family, her teammates, and her support network,” Watson added.
The state of affairs is unquestionably sophisticated by the animosity between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested lower than per week earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine and set in movement financial sanctions, the withdrawal of Western companies and the delivery of arms and expertise to Ukraine.
On June 28, nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with reporters about Griner’s state of affairs aboard Air Force One en path to Madrid, saying the matter “has the fullest attention of the president.”
“The Russian government should release her and allow her to be returned and reunited with her family and come home safe and sound,” he mentioned.
Sullivan mentioned he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Griner’s spouse lately and expressed their sympathy for what the household was going by way of.
Griner was photographed in Russian courtroom Friday. The subsequent listening to was scheduled for Thursday.
Erick Mendoza contributed.