How the White House Continues to Help Brittney Griner
Many celebrities and athletes have used their following to show support and gain recognition for Griner (Tungsten Rising/Unsplash).
On Feb. 17, Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia for possessing and smuggling drugs for criminal purposes. In August, she was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison which her lawyers claimed was extravagant and filed to an appeals court where on Oct. 25th, Griner’s case was upheld, forcing her to stay in a Russian prison until further notice.
Article by Georgia Simon, Associate White House Reporter
WASHINGTON - Brittney Griner, a WNBA all-star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and current Phoenix Mercury player, who some know as BG, has been detained in Russia for over 9 months after less than a gram of cannabis oil was found inside vape cartridges within her luggage. Griner’s lawyers have continued to express that the cannabis oil was used for medical purposes and that she had no criminal intentions. Her arrest was made just one week before Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Following the news, the Biden Administration released a statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the “Wrongful Detention of Brittney Griner.”
“In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan,” Sullivan said.
As he later wrote in his statement, Sullivan emphasized that the President is “willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions,” to bring Griner and other wrongfully detained captives home.
Concluding the report, Sullivan explained that the administration will continue to stay in touch with the families of detainees and he admires their “courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances.”
As Griner continues her sentence, she will be moved to a penal colony, which is where “inmates are required to perform labor during their sentence,” The Washington Post said. These conditions are much harsher than at Novoye Grishino pre-trial detention center, where Griner has been for the past months. Transfer of prisoners is not abrupt and it can take up to months for Griner to be moved.
On April, 27, Trevor Reed was released in a prisoner swap after being wrongfully detained in Russia. Reed is a former U.S. Marine who was sentenced to nine years for striking a Russian police officer in 2019. In response, the U.S. released Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot sentenced to 20 years for scheming to smuggle cocaine into America.
The only way Griner will likely be released is via prisoner swap. The White House has made an official offer to Russia, but there has been no response to the 2-1 exchange.
The offer currently stands that in exchange for Griner and Wheelan, Russia will regain Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.” Bout was detained for conspiring to murder U.S. citizens as well as selling weapons to terrorists in Colombia. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence in an Illinois federal prison.
On July 5, only days before pleading guilty, Griner wrote President Joe Biden pleading for help for herself and other wrongfully convicted Americans.
“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 said. “ Please do all you can to bring us home.”
Once receiving the letter, President Biden alongside Vice President Harris immediately got to work by calling Cherrelle Griner, Griner’s wife. The President also responded by writing back to the letter and having American diplomats deliver it to her in Moscow.
In Sept, President Biden met with Cherrelle Griner, at the White House where he restated the priority of getting Griner home and how his administration will continuously fight for her and other detainees like Paul Wheelan.
Officials have explained that to their beliefs, Russia will not respond to any negotiations for prisoner swap deals until after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 8th, as they are “not wanting to give the Biden administration a political victory,” said ABC.
Many celebrities and athletes have used their following to show support and gain recognition for Griner. Meghan Rapinoe, U.S. women's national soccer team player, and her fiancé Sue Bird, former WNBA star and Griner’s Olympic teammate, paid tribute to her whilst Rapinoe was receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, earlier this year.
Rapinoe wore a blazer with Griner's initials “BG'' embroidered onto the front of it. While Bird wore a pin on her jacket stating “We Are BG.”
Until a prisoner swap is made, #BringBGHome, her official hashtag, will continue trending on Twitter and Instagram.