Griner, 31, who has played in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason, was arrested Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had hemp oil in her luggage and charged her with smuggling significant quantities of the drug, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He went on trial in a court near Moscow on Friday on charges of drug smuggling. Griner’s supporters and US officials say she has been wrongly arrested and have called for her release as fears grow that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US. Griner’s letter to Biden, according to the communications company’s statement, was delivered to the White House on Monday morning. Three excerpts from the letter have been made public, while the rest are being kept private, the statement said. “On the 4th of July, our family usually honors the services of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a veteran of the Vietnam War. It pains me to think how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me. year,” Griner wrote to Biden. “I realize you are dealing with so much but please don’t forget me and the other American prisoners. Do what you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I have still so much 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 to you for whatever you can do right now to get me home.’ CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Griner’s wife, Sherrell, told CNN last week that she wants American officials to do whatever it takes to bring the basketball legend home — and she needs to see them do more. In the only interview she’s given on the eve of her husband’s trial in Russia, Cherelle Griner sat down in the Phoenix Mercury locker room and demanded more action. “It’s really, really difficult. This is not a situation where rhetoric matches action,” he said. “Unfortunately I have to push people to make sure the things they say to me also match their actions, and so that’s been the hardest thing to balance because I can’t let go. It’s been over 130 days and BG is still not back.” The US House of Representatives last month passed a bipartisan resolution calling on the Russian government to immediately release the WNBA star. “Not a day goes by that we don’t think about Brittney and work to bring her home,” Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, who sponsored the resolution, said in a statement. “We will continue to push for her release and make sure she is not forgotten.” Stanton previously served as mayor of Phoenix, where Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Stanton introduced the resolution in May along with Democratic Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Colin Allred of Griner’s home state of Texas. “I am grateful for this overwhelming show of support from Congress. We must do everything we can to keep Brittney’s case in the spotlight and finally put an end to this nightmare,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement at the time . CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Brittney Griner’s name. CNN’s Abby Phillip, Steve Almasy, Homero De la Fuente and Rachel Janfaza contributed to this report.
title: “Brittney Griner Writes Handwritten Letter To Biden " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Marvin Latouf”
Griner, 31, who has played in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason, was arrested Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had hemp oil in her luggage and charged her with smuggling significant quantities of the drug, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He went on trial in a court near Moscow on Friday on charges of drug smuggling. Griner’s supporters and US officials say she has been wrongly arrested and have called for her release as fears grow that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US. Griner’s letter to Biden, according to the communications company’s statement, was delivered to the White House on Monday morning. Three excerpts from the letter have been made public, while the rest are being kept private, the statement said. “On the 4th of July, our family usually honors the services of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a veteran of the Vietnam War. It pains me to think how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me. year,” Griner wrote to Biden. “I realize you are dealing with so much but please don’t forget me and the other American prisoners. Do what you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I have still so much 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 to you for whatever you can do right now to get me home.’ The White House reiterated Monday that “the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner.” “President Biden has been clear about the need to release all American citizens held hostage or wrongfully held abroad, including Brittney Griner. The U.S. government continues to work aggressively — using every means available — to bring her at home,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement to CNN. “The president’s team is in regular contact with Brittney’s family and we will continue to work to support her family,” Watson said, adding that national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken “have spoken with Britney’s wife in recent weeks. and the White House is coordinating closely with the President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney’s family, her teammates and her support network.” Griner’s wife, Sherrell, told CNN last week that she wants American officials to do whatever it takes to bring the basketball legend home — and she needs to see them do more. In the only interview she’s given on the eve of her husband’s trial in Russia, Cherelle Griner sat down in the Phoenix Mercury locker room and demanded more action. “It’s really, really difficult. This is not a situation where rhetoric matches action,” he said. “Unfortunately I have to push people to make sure the things they say to me also match their actions, and so that’s been the hardest thing to balance because I can’t let go. It’s been over 130 days and BG is still not back.” The US House of Representatives last month passed a bipartisan resolution calling on the Russian government to immediately release the WNBA star. “Not a day goes by that we don’t think about Brittney and work to bring her home,” Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, who sponsored the resolution, said in a statement. “We will continue to push for her release and make sure she is not forgotten.” Stanton previously served as mayor of Phoenix, where Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Stanton introduced the resolution in May along with Democratic Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Colin Allred of Griner’s home state of Texas. “I am grateful for this overwhelming show of support from Congress. We must do everything we can to keep Brittney’s case in the spotlight and finally put an end to this nightmare,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement at the time . Phoenix Mercury first-year coach Vanessa Nygaard responded Monday to Griner’s letter during a news conference in Los Angeles ahead of her team’s game against the Sparks. “It made me cry, you know, just hearing her talk about her father who was a Vietnam vet, her new perspective on freedom, her desire to be with her family and her teammates, she doesn’t know if she will ever be free again. On our freedom day, hearing those words from such a beloved person… It’s great, and it’s great that he was able to get that message across to us and hopefully some people are paying attention and, of course, Biden The administration and the State For our department to put that at the forefront of their messaging would be amazing for us,” Nygard said. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Brittney Griner’s name. This story has been updated with additional reaction. CNN’s Abby Phillip, Steve Almasy, Homero De la Fuente, Rachel Janfaza, Maegan Vazquez and Jill Martin contributed to this report.
