Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Greener sent a handwritten letter to US President Joe Biden on Monday asking for her release from Russia. Her agency released excerpts of the letter to the public:
“… 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 am terrified that I could be here forever,” Griner wrote.
“On the 4th of July, our family usually honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War. It pains me to think about how I usually celebrate this day, because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
“I realize you have so much to deal with, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do whatever 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 work to do with my freedom that you can help restore. 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 anything you can do at this time to bring me home.
Griner, 31, has been held in a Moscow prison since she was arrested on February 17, 2022, after officers found cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage. She will be held for at least another six months while her trial is retrial, and she faces face up to 10 years in a Russian prison if convicted on drug-smuggling charges. Although she did not enter a plea on the first day of the trial – July 1 – the trial will resume on Thursday.
In another letter to his wife, Cheryl Greener, he admits that he is trying to stay mentally strong during his detention until he returns home.
“She’s like, ‘I’m fine, honey. I’m hardened. It’s not me right now. When I get home, it’s going to take me a minute to come back to myself, but I’m holding on,” Cherelle said on Al Sharpton’s Keepin’ It Real. “I won’t break until I get home. I won’t let them break me. I know they are trying, but I will do my best to hold on until I can go home.
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After the US declared her “unlawfully detained” by the Russian government and is reportedly seeking her release. However, the means by which this release may occur has not been disclosed. Russian state media once believed that Griner could be freed if the US freed convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Others believe former Greener Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison on espionage charges in 2018, could be traded along with Booth.
US Deputy Chief of Mission Elizabeth Rudd, who attended Greiner’s trial on July 1, said Greiner had told her to tell the American public that he was “in good spirits and keeping his faith.”
Many recently called for Greener to be released. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard spoke passionately about their friend and teammate after the first photos of Griner were released last week, and players around the WNBA and NBA were adamant about getting Griner safely back to US
Britney Greener asked President Joe Biden to let her go. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina)
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