Let Brittney Griner return to America!
It’s been nearly 100-days, and Brittney is STILL detained in Russia.
On February 17, WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney was detained at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities claimed they found vape cartridges while searching her luggage. The cartridges allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison over there.
On March 17, Moscow extended Brittney’s arrest until May 19. Around this time, the U.S. State Department determined Russia “wrongfully detained” Brittney. On May 13 Brittney’s lawyer said his client’s pretrial detention in Russia was extended for one more month.
Russian state TV has released a photo of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested on drug charges in the country after Russian officials say cannabis oil was found in her luggage. CNN's @RosaFlores has the story. pic.twitter.com/SzB9MSSQfY
— CNN (@CNN) March 8, 2022
Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, breaks her silence about the unfortunate situation. Cherelle recently appeared on Good Morning America and spoke about the moment her wife broke the news of her detainment (via text). Cherelle said,”I first heard the news through Brittney, actually. She started texting me around 2 a.m. that morning [saying], ‘Babe, babe, babe, wake up, they have me in this room, I don’t know what’s going on.’” Cherelle continued,
“So I instantly text back: ‘Who are they and what room?’ And she’s like, ‘The customs people, they just grabbed me as I was going through and they have me in this room.’ [Then] she sent me a message and said, ‘They’re about to take my phone, don’t text anymore.’ So I’m like, ‘Just call me when you can.’ That was it.”
The Jasmine Brand points out that during the recent interview, Cherelle said she still hasn’t spoken to Brittney on the phone. Cherelle said, “We’re what, 96 days [later]? And the phone call never came.”
Cherelle said even though they haven’t communicated over the phone, they write letters. She said,”[Brittney] wrote me one letter and was like, ‘Babe, I know you wanna go down right now but like, don’t just yet.’” Cherelle continued, “I won’t go down until she’s back … Every single day matters for me to be sound, for me to be alert, for me to be attentive, to make sure that she comes back.”
Cherelle also wants President Joe Biden to use his political power to get Brittney home. She said, “I just keep hearing that, you know, [Biden] has the power. She’s a political pawn. So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.” She continued, “I don’t know [if I feel that she’s top priority]. I was grateful for the call [from Senator Blinken]. But you say she’s top priority… I want to see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing [Brittney] on U.S. soil.” She ended with, “At this point, I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”