Seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner remains in Russian custody, where she has been detained since February.
This week, her wife, Cherelle Griner, sat down for an interview with ESPN, where she urged President Joe Biden to free her spouse.
“There is one person that can go get her, and that’s our president,” she told Angela Rye. “He has that power. You know, I’m just like, ‘Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it.’ We’re expecting him to use his power to get it done.”
Russian Federal Customs Service claimed Griner had vape cartridges containing the marijuana concentrate hashish oil in her luggage. Many believe she is a political pawn.
“We don’t want Ms Griner to become a pawn in the political battle that’s being waged throughout the world right now,” declared U.S. Congressman John Garamendi, a member of the House of Representatives’ armed services committee.
“The war in Ukraine has essentially severed diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Russia,” Mr Garamendi said. “That is going to exacerbate this issue.”
Of course, Cherelle is deeply concerned about the state of her wife’s well-being.
“I’m in a position of complete vulnerability right now. I have to trust people that I didn’t even know until Feb. 17. So I’m trusting her lawyers. … ‘How does she look? How is her spirit? How is her energy?’ I’m just asking all those questions, trying to just get some type of indication or vibe.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. government finally declared her to be “wrongfully detained.”
“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson told ESPN. “With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”
