Monday, July 04, 2022

LESBIAN PRISONER IN PUTIN'S HOMOPHOBIC RUSSIA
'I'm terrified': Brittney Griner sends Biden handwritten letter amid trial in Russia

Dennis Romero and Erick Mendoza 

WNBA star Brittney Griner asked President Joe Biden to bring her home from detention in Russia, where she is being tried on drug smuggling charges, 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 released excerpts of Griner’s letter Monday said the document was delivered to the president at the White House on Monday. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.


© Michael GonzalesBrittney Griner (Michael Gonzales / NBAE via Getty Images file)

Griner, 31, a Houston native who is a center for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained in February by Russian Federal Customs Service agents at Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. She plays for a Russian team during 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 line between non-psychoactive cannabidiol — better known as CBD, which is popular among athletes as a possible aid in workout recovery — and psychoactive cannabis isn’t recognized in Russia. CBD is generally recognized as legal in the U.S., and the World Anti-Doping Agency removed it from its list of prohibited substances in 2018.

Former Olympic coach to WNBA star Brittney Griner: ‘We know that no one wins in a Russian court.’

In her letter, Griner recognized July Fourth as a time to celebrate 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 said. "It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year."

She implored Biden to continue 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; officials have said 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 said in a statement Monday, adding that the administration is in "regular contact" with her family.

"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 situation is surely complicated by the animosity between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested less than a week before Russia invaded Ukraine and set in motion economic sanctions, the withdrawal of Western businesses and the shipping of arms and technology to Ukraine.

On June 28, national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with reporters about Griner's situation aboard Air Force One en route 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 said.

Sullivan said he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Griner's wife recently and expressed their sympathy for what the family was going through.

Griner was photographed in Russian court Friday. The next hearing was scheduled for Thursday











WNBA star Brittney Griner sends letter to Biden asking for his help to leave a Russian jail: 'I'm terrified I might be here forever'

John L. Dorman
Mon, July 4, 2022 

Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February.Charlie Neibergall/AP

WNBA star Brittney Griner wrote a letter to Biden urging him to help get her released from Russia.

Griner has been detained since February when she was accused of carrying vapes with hashish oil.

"I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you," she wrote to Biden. "I believe in you."

WNBA star Brittney Griner — who has been held in Russia since February — on Monday made a direct appeal to President Joe Biden for his help to release her and other Americans detained while abroad in a handwritten letter delivered to the White House.

Griner's representatives released excerpts of the letter, in which the professional basketball player said she was "terrified" she might never leave Russia.

"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," the Phoenix Mercury player wrote.

"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. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year," she added.

Griner, 31, has been held in Russia since mid-February, when officials alleged that they had discovered vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage while she was traveling through Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

She was in the country to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, the Russian professional women's team where she spends the WNBA offseason.

Just days after Griner's arrest, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, which has cratered diplomatic relations with the United States and other western countries, with Biden and other world leaders enacting a raft a sanctions against Moscow.

Griner's trial began on Friday. She faces up to ten years in prison.

In her letter, the player told Biden that she voted for him in the 2020 presidential election and asked that he also work to help free other individuals detained in foreign countries.

"I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American detainees. 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," she wrote.

"I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! 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," she added.

Last week, Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, told CNN that the basketball player has been forced into a small cage for hours on end each time she has to make an appearance in court.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said late last month that Griner was not being held "hostage," but offered no timeline on her potential release.

"She violated Russian law, and now she's being prosecuted," he told NBC News. "It's not about being a hostage. There are lots of American citizens here. They're enjoying their freedoms … but you have to obey the laws."

Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, on Monday said in a statement that the government was working to secure Griner's freedom.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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