WNBA star and two-time U.S. Olympian Brittney Griner was detained at Moscow’s airport on February 17, 2022, for cannabis oil.

She pled guilty, denied intent, and provided a doctor’s letter recommending medical cannabis.

A Russian court gave her nine years amid the U.S.-Russia crisis over the Ukraine war.

Her agent and supporters called her a political pawn (denied by the Kremlin), and her detention was repeatedly extended, including 117 days without a phone call.

The U.S. deemed her “wrongfully detained” and pressed for immediate release.

U.S. officials warned against travel to Russia for arrest risks, and talks focused narrowly on detained Americans, excluding broader issues.

Washington offered Viktor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, which Moscow rebuffed; Russia urged “quiet diplomacy” and later accepted a one-for-one swap.

She endured limited communication, reliance on Google Translate, and transfer to IK-2 in Mordovia, notorious for poor sanitation, hard labor, scarce medical care, deadly overwork or untreated illness, and language barriers.

Ten months in custody devastated her mental and physical health, leaving her contemplating suicide.

Griner wrote to President Biden, and officials including Antony Blinken and Roger Carstens kept high-level engagement with Russia.

On December 8, 2022, a UAE-facilitated swap in Abu Dhabi freed her, with Saudi involvement and pardons for both prisoners.

The swap was a rare post-invasion U.S.-Russia cooperation that did not improve relations and drew criticism as unequal, though the White House called Bout’s release a manageable risk.

Her case showed how public figures can be leveraged in geopolitical confrontations and highlighted the vulnerability of a Black, openly gay American woman in Russia.

Economics drew her to Russia, where nearly 90 WNBA players work overseas in the offseason due to lower U.S. pay.

After release, she underwent evaluation and reintegration at Brooke Army Medical Center and thanked President Biden and supporters.

WNBA star and two-time U.S. Olympian Brittney Griner was detained at Moscow’s airport on February 17, 2022, for cannabis oil.

Title:

Content: A sport.
Published: 05 Jul 2022 7: 36 GMT
Updated Date: 05 Jul 2022 8: 45 GMT
Basketball player Greener asks President Biden to help her win freedom in Russia
Greiner is associated with playing in the American Women's Basketball League but has also played for several years in Russia.
+ A -A
Source: Reuters
Basketball star Britney Greiner asked President Joe Biden to defend her in an emotional letter to the White House on Monday as she continues to be held in Russia on drug-related charges.
Greiner, who was detained at Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for possessing e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil, was put on trial on Friday and could face up to 10 years in prison.
The case comes against the backdrop of high tensions between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine.
U.S. officials say Greener is wronged.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my husband, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any achievements, I am terrified to be here forever. ”
“On July 4th, our family usually honors those who fought for our freedom, including my father, who was a Vietnam War veteran. ”
“It hurts to think about the way I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year. ”
Greiner is associated with playing in the American Women's Basketball League, but she has also played for several years in Russia.
During the first hearing, Greiner was accused of deliberately trying to supply cannabis oil to Russia.
The judge scheduled Thursday for the next hearing.
“I know you ’ re dealing with a lot, but please don ’ t forget me and the other American detainees.
Please do everything you can to bring us home. ”
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She pled guilty, denied intent, and provided a doctor’s letter recommending medical cannabis.

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National News

VSU Coach Among Black Women Showing Support For Griner

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal and Guide

A group of over 1,200-plus Black women leaders of various religious, political, and social backgrounds, are calling on President Joseph R. Biden’s to ramp up efforts to free WNBA star Brittney Griner from detainment in Russia.

In a letter to Biden and Vice President Harris, the #WinWithBlackWomen collective urged the administration to “make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly and safely and to meet with Brittney’s wife Cherelle immediately.”

The signatories include multiple WNBA players, WNBA Players Association Executive Director Terri Jackson, and several university coaches, including Nadine Domond, head coach for women’s basketball at Virginia State University, who also signed the letter.

Domond was recently interviewed on National Public Radio’s (NPR) “All Things Considered” by host Juana Summers.

Summers asked Domond, who is a friend of Griner, about her reaction to what was happening during her trial and imprisonment in Russia.

“Heartbroken. She could be sentenced to up 10 years in a Russian prison,” Domond said. “That’s tough. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. So, I’m just keeping her in my prayers, to give her the strength and the courage and the wisdom as she walks through this – you know, this valley. So many other supporters are just with her in spirit, trying to make sure she’s OK.”

Summer asked, “Why do you think it has not gotten enough attention?”

“Because I think for many people, it’s like, what do you mean? She’s overseas” Domond said.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“What is she doing overseas? Why is she going overseas? So, there are so many unanswered questions that many average Americans want to know.”

Two weeks ago, Griner, during the second phase of her trial admitted guilt to the charges. She said she was packing, hurriedly and did not intend to include the Hashish Smokeless cartridges in her baggage or break Russians laws.

On July 15 Griner presented a doctor’s letter recommending medical cannabis treatment to a Russian court.

Griner, the Gay, superstar female star of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), has been in a Russian jail for over four months.

The six-foot-nine center for the Phoenix Mercury helped the team earn a championship in 2014. She has two gold Olympic medals to her name. Griner was jailed for carrying used Hashish oil cartridges in one of her bags as she was attempted to leave Russia back in February.

“People don’t know that many former WNBA players or WNBA players work year-round,” Domond continued. “She is going to Russia to make another living, to continue her living. And to be detained on something that – to me, I don’t know their rules, but I know Brittney wouldn’t do anything to break the law on purpose. I know Brittney wouldn’t do anything to step outside the boundaries of what is expected of her.”

Read the entire story in New Journal and Guide.

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A Russian court gave her nine years amid the U.S.-Russia crisis over the Ukraine war.

Title:

Content: Lawyer: Greener sent to Russian exile to serve his sentence
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A lawyer for U.S. women's professional basketball player Brittney Griner said today that Griner has been sent to a remote Russian penal colony to serve his sentence.
Her situation has sparked outrage in the United States.
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Greiner, 32, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and sentenced to nine years in prison in August for entering Russia with an e-cigarette case containing a small amount of cannabis oil.
This comes at a time when US-Russian relations are highly strained by Russia ’ s military presence in Ukraine.
"Britney began serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia," Greiner's lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.
The lawyers said that when they visited this week, Greiner was in good condition, trying to stay strong and adapt to the new environment, and they would not provide further comment "given that this is a very difficult period for her."
U.S. President Joe Biden said last week he wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate "more seriously" the release of Greenner.
"My aim was to get her home, and we've had multiple discussions so far," Biden said at the time.
The White House said that CIA Director William Burns and Russian Foreign Intelligence Director Sergei Naryshkin had a rare face-to-face meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday to discuss the threat of nuclear weapons in Ukraine and American citizens imprisoned by Russia.

Her agent and supporters called her a political pawn (denied by the Kremlin), and her detention was repeatedly extended, including 117 days without a phone call.

Title:

Content: HOMEPAGE

Brittney Griner's agent calls on Biden and Harris to 'do whatever it takes' to free the WNBA star from Russian captivity

  • Brittney Griner's agent called on Biden and Harris to "do whatever it takes" to get the WNBA player out of Russian jail.
  • Griner's imprisonment was just extended to July 2, Russian state media reported.
  • "Today's extension is just further reinforcement that Brittney Griner — an Olympian and an American citizen — is being used as a political pawn," her agent said.

Brittney Griner's agent called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to "do whatever it takes" to free the WNBA star from Russian captivity.

"Today's extension is just further reinforcement that Brittney Griner — an Olympian and an American citizen — is being used as a political pawn. Her detention is inhumane and unacceptable," Lindsay Kagawa Colas tweeted Tuesday, referring to Russian state media TASS's reporting that Griner's imprisonment has been extended until July 2.

She continued: "We call on @POTUS and @VP to act with urgency and do whatever it takes to bring Brittney home immediately."

Colas added that Griner has not had a phone call in "117 days of wrongful detention."

Tuesday's extension is the second time Russian officials extended Griner's detention.

She was first arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 when officials found vape cartridges in her luggage, and she has been held in a Russian prison since.

"We must fight for BG like family because as an American, she is all of ours," Colas said.

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The U.S. deemed her “wrongfully detained” and pressed for immediate release.

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U.S. basketball star detained in Russia for months, Blinken speaks to family
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for months, and a coalition of human rights groups today urged President Joe Biden and Russia to "reach an agreement" to secure her release, and Secretary of State Colin Blinken also spoke to Griner's wife today.
WNBA player Griner, who won two Olympic gold medals for the United States, was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after being charged with carrying several e-cigarette boxes containing cannabis oil in his luggage. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.
A Russian court last week extended her pre-trial detention to July 2.
Senior State Department officials said Antony Blinken spoke with Greiner ’ s same-sex wife, Cherelle Griner, this evening, but did not disclose details.
The State Department said yesterday that Mr. Greiner had not been able to speak to his wife as scheduled over the weekend because of logistical problems exacerbated by Russia ’ s restrictions on the U.S. Embassy ’ s operations in Moscow.
Forty advocacy groups, including the National Organization for Women, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (GLAAD), have praised the Biden administration ’ s efforts, including in May when it said the 31-year-old Greiner had been “wrongly detained ” and assigned diplomats to handle his release.
But they say more needs to be done.
Reuters reviewed the groups ’ letters to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, which read: “The U.S. government categorizes Britney as wrongfully detained and acknowledges that she is essentially a political pawn. ”
“While these are vital measures, we now urge you to reach an agreement so that Britney can return to the United States safely and immediately. ”
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told Reuters the government was looking at ways to secure Greiner ’ s release.
"President Biden has made it clear that it is necessary to see all U.S. nationals held as hostages or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Greiner," Watson said in an email.
“The United States Government continues to make vigorous efforts to try to bring her back using all available methods. ” (Translator: Lee Pei-shan / Authored by: Chan Cheng-yi) 1110623
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U.S. officials warned against travel to Russia for arrest risks, and talks focused narrowly on detained Americans, excluding broader issues.

Title:

Content: 08 December 2022 - 13: 26
US official: Negotiations between Washington and Moscow "focused" on the file of Grainer
US official: Negotiations between Washington and Moscow "focused" on the Greiner file Lebanon, news, lbci, news Britney Greiner, Moscow, Washington, negotiations, US official: Negotiations between Washington and Moscow "focused" on the Greiner file
Talks with Moscow over the release of basketball player Britney Grainer were "very specific" and "very focused," a senior U.S. official said, and the United States has briefed Ukraine and other allies on this.
Asked about the possibility of broader ice-breaking in U.S.-Russia relations, he said: "We have informed key partners, including the Ukrainians, of these findings so that they also understand that they were only about one thing," the Americans detained in Russia.
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Content: 2 hours ago - World

Russian court again extends Brittney Griner's detention

A Russian court extended American basketball star Brittney Griner's detention for a second time on Tuesday, meaning she will remain in custody until at least July 2, according to Russian state media.

Why it matters: Griner has been in pre-trial detention since she was detained at a Moscow-area airport in February after authorities claimed that they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.

  • She was charged with drug smuggling, and her detention has now been extended two times.
  • The U.S. State Department considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia.
  • It has also warned other Americans to not travel to Russia because the Kremlin may be specifically targeting Americans for arrest, potentially for the purpose of exchanging them for Russians held in American prisons.

The big picture: Former Marine Trevor Reed, who was held in a Russian prison since 2019 before being released in April, called on the Biden administration and Congress last week to increase efforts to release Griner, even if it means more prisoner swaps.

  • Reed warned that Griner may face greater challenges inside Russia's prison system than he did because of her race and sexual orientation.

Go deeper: Brittney Griner's wife urges Biden to bring detained player home

Go deeper

Washington offered Viktor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, which Moscow rebuffed; Russia urged “quiet diplomacy” and later accepted a one-for-one swap.

Title:

Content: Categories
Finance

Inside Joe Biden’s Faustian pact with Russia to secure Brittney

Three weeks ago, the American basketball star Brittney Griner arrived at a Russian penal colony known for torture, beatings and slave labour to begin a nine-year sentence following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil.

But in a stunning twist on Thursday, Griner’s plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end, as she arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow and boarded a plane home to reunite with her family. She landed in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.

In exchange for Griner’s release, the US released Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker who was serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner’s family and supporters. But the controversial swap for Bout — as well as the exclusion of Paul Whelan, another US citizen imprisoned in Russia — also drew criticism and raised questions about how America’s adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working toward Griner’s release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, but the effort became more concentrated on prisoner swap negotiations once the State Department declared in May that she had been wrongfully detained.

In July, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. During the call, Blinken pressed Lavrov to accept a “substantial proposal” from Washington to release Griner and the former marine Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on what the US and his family say are trumped-up espionage charges.

Americans had offered to free Bout, people familiar with the discussions said, but the Russians said they also wanted the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year.

In the ensuing months, officials said, Washington made a number of offers to Russia in an attempt to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.

However, Biden administration officials said that in recent weeks it became clear that Moscow would only accept a one-for-one swap. According to one senior administration official, “the choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now or bringing no Americans home from Russia right now”.

Despite the Biden administration’s insistence that they had no choice but to exclude Whelan from the deal, Republican lawmakers and others denounced the decision, as well as facilitating the release of Bout, who is also known as “the merchant of death”.

“The Biden administration has allowed Viktor Bout, a dangerous arms dealer who was convicted of conspiring to kill American law enforcement, to walk free,” said Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

“This move to appease Vladimir Putin will only encourage further hostage taking by Russian security forces,” he added.

US officials described Biden’s choice as a painful one, adding that they would continue to work for Whelan’s release. Washington previously secured the release of Trevor Reed, another former marine, via a prisoner swap in April.

People familiar with Thursday’s prisoner exchange likened the episode to “a scene from the Cold War”, with Russian and American planes meeting on the tarmac at an airport in Abu Dhabi.

The Russian plane carrying Griner arrived first, one of the people said. American officials and people familiar with the events said the basketball star was upbeat on the tarmac, saying she was looking forward to returning home.

The Griner-Bout swap marks a rare instance in which the US and Russia have been able to find common ground since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending the west’s relationship with Moscow to its lowest ebb since the Cuban missile crisis.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Americans and Russians directly negotiated the details of the swaps, with UAE officials including president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan helping to facilitate the mechanics of the transfer.

It is not unusual for third countries to aid in brokering international diplomatic agreements such as prisoner swaps between hostile countries.

Sheikh Mohammed and Putin discussed the matter when they met in Russia in October, and they spoke on the phone on Wednesday, people familiar with the meetings said. Yousef al-Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, was present for the exchange on Thursday and had helped to co-ordinate details on the American side.

On Thursday, some pro-Kremlin commentators hailed the swap as a return to diplomacy. “Everyone sees through this exchange that Moscow and Washington are holding secret negotiations and can make a deal,” Sergei Markov, a political scientist and former member of Russia’s parliament, wrote on Telegram. “And everyone hopes that means Moscow and Washington can make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.”

However, analysts and US officials said that while the breakthrough was a sign that the two sides could get things done when their interests align, it was not evidence of any larger thaw in relations. Biden administration officials added that the recent conversations with Russia about Griner and other prisoners were limited to the release of wrongfully detained Americans.

“The exchange doesn’t do anything to change the situation for bilateral relations. There are lots of issues where they are in open confrontation,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He said the otherwise dire state of relations between Russia and the west was thrown into sharp relief last week, when Moscow abruptly pulled out of talks on renewing the New Start treaty, the only remaining agreement governing the countries’ nuclear arsenals.

“This is a global stability issue: the last remainders of arms control are falling apart, which could lead to an arms race and a higher risk of dangerous incidents,” he said. “The trajectory we’re on is making that all the more likely.”

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Title:

Content: The United States insists that Russia agree on an exchange of prisoners for the release of Britney Grenier
Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday at the highest known level of communication between the two sides since Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, as Blinken urged Russia to accept the deal to secure the release of American prisoners Britney Grenier.
Paul Whelan.
Russian officials gave no public hint as to whether Blinken had made any progress, instead issuing a chilling statement in which they subsequently called on the United States to pursue American freedom through “quiet diplomacy without revealing speculative information. ”
In recent days, U.S. officials have announced their efforts to bring back Greener, a WNBA star, and Whelan, the chief executive of corporate security, whose case has garnered nationwide attention.
Blinken did not give details of Lavrov ’ s response to what he had previously called Russia ’ s “substantial offer ” to release Whelan and Greiner.
Blinken publicly requested communication and reported on Russia ’ s offer.
People familiar with the show say the U.S. wants to trade Whelan and Greiner for convicted Russian arms dealer Victor Bout.
Blinken described the call as a "frank, direct conversation" that focused on detained Americans.
“I called on Foreign Minister Lavrov to advance this proposal, ” he said.
“I can ’ t give you an estimate of whether it ’ s more or less likely. ”
Watch | America Reveals Steps to Return Jailed Basketball Player:
White House offers Russia a deal to free basketball star Britney Grenier
The Biden administration says it has made a "substantial offer" to repatriate two American detainees from Russia, including basketball star Britney Grenier.
Blinken also said he insisted on the importance of Russia following the deal allowing Ukrainian grain shipments to leave the Black Sea, and warned him of the consequences if Moscow pursued its alleged plans to annex parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Canada stunned Russia with overtime to reach the semi-finals of the World Hockey League
Blinkin said he told Lavrov that the world would “never recognize ” any annexation of Ukrainian territory, which he said would“ lead to significant additional costs for Russia. ”
He declined to comment on how Lavrov reacted to his reports.
I do not want to describe any of Foreign Minister Lavrov ’ s answers.
In a subsequent statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov “strongly suggested ” that Blinkin“ return to a professional dialogue in the style of quiet diplomacy ” on any attempts to release American detainees.
Lavrov also reiterated Russia ’ s promises to continue fighting until it achieves its goals in Ukraine, renewed complaints that U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine is prolonging the conflict, and accused the United States of not yet complying with its grain supply agreements from Ukraine.
This was reported in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tensions are escalating
Blinken ’ s comments earlier this week were the first time the U.S. government has publicly made public any specific actions it has taken to release Greiner.
Two-time Olympic champion and WNBA player Phoenix Mercury was arrested at a Moscow airport in mid-February when inspectors found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
Greiner ’ s arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington before Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Five months after Griner ’ s arrest, he drew sharp criticism from his colleagues and supporters in the United States.
A drug trial began in a Moscow court this month, and on Wednesday she revealed she didn ’ t know how the bullets ended up in her bag, but that she had a doctor ’ s recommendation to use cannabis to treat work-related pain.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty but said she had no criminal intent to bring bullets to Russia and was hastily packed for her return to the Russian basketball league at the end of the WNBA season.
She faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of drug trafficking.
Ryan Bader "Noble Fighter" Not Interested in Retirement Plus Will Francis Ngannu Fight in the UFC Again?
The Biden administration has faced political pressure to release Greiner and other Americans whom the US has declared “unjustly detained ” — a decision that Russian officials have categorically rejected.
Whelan, head of corporate security from Michigan, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage in 2020.
He and his family insisted on their innocence.
The United States Government has condemned these allegations as false.
For years, Russia has shown interest in freeing Russian arms dealer Botha, who was once nicknamed the “Merchant of Death. ”
In 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiring to illegally sell millions of dollars worth of weapons.

She endured limited communication, reliance on Google Translate, and transfer to IK-2 in Mordovia, notorious for poor sanitation, hard labor, scarce medical care, deadly overwork or untreated illness, and language barriers.

Title:

Content: Former prisoner in Russian punishment colony reveals to CNN what American Grainer can expect after 9 years in prison
The world.
Publish
Nadezhda Tolokonikova, from the group "Female Riot", spent nearly two years in a penal colony after demonstrating against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tolokonikova explained what American basketball player Britney Grainer could expect after she was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug trafficking and shared the harsh conditions that occur in the Russian penal colonies.
Tolokonikova said she believed it would be “particularly difficult for Britney because she doesn ’ t know Russian, she can ’ t learn the law she has to abide by in the penal colony, and she can ’ t protect herself. ”
“The worst thing about a penal colony is watching the death of others around you and not being able to do anything.
People die from hard physical work and not being able to get the medical treatment they need.
But you're just another prisoner.
You can't do anything about it.
You just have to witness this cruelty and know that something like this can happen to you as well. ”
Tolokonikova revealed the motivation that kept her alive, saying: "The most important thing now is to minimize the trauma that she will endure during this time period.
Thinking about your loved ones who are waiting for you and who need you, don ’ t give up on your life.
Things like finding a beautiful flower and thinking that this beautiful flower was able to grow in these terrible and terrifying conditions in this nightmarish world prompted me to stay alive and not lose faith that there would be life outside the punitive colony. ”
Tolokonikova concluded: “I hope Britney will come home as soon as possible and experience as little trauma as possible in her condition.
I ’ m really looking forward to reuniting her with her family. ”

Title:

Content: Sports
Basketball _ American female basketball star will be tried for possession of drugs in Russia, speech is difficult, and the palace denies political prosecution (17: 41)
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner appeared for the first time in a local court yesterday after being detained for about four and a half months in Russia in February.
Galina revealed that she had difficulty speaking while on remand, while a Kremlin spokesman reiterated that the case was not politically motivated.
Galina, who flew to Moscow from New York in February, has been detained by Russian authorities for allegedly finding e-cigarettes containing illegal cannabis oil in her luggage.
She appeared in court for the first time yesterday, and told Reuters that she did not understand Russian, and that she had difficulty exercising and maintaining her health.
Her lawyer pointed out that while Galina has concerns about the trial and the potential sentence, "she is a tough woman, and I think she can withstand the pressure."
If she is eventually convicted, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.
After Galina's arrest, the U.S. government and several athletes urged the Russian side to release the two-time Olympic gold medalist, believing that she was innocent.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the case was politically motivated, stressing that “only the court can decide ” on the basis of known facts.
Other reports: French news media said that Nima's implementation of the treaty to renew the PSG reconstruction plan was blocked
Other reports: Premier League _ Sana and Liverpool contract renewed for 3 years, nearly 400,000 pounds a week to break the team 's historical record
Related Words: Sports Poison Russian Basketball Britney Galina Editor 's recommendation
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Ten months in custody devastated her mental and physical health, leaving her contemplating suicide.

Title:

Content: 10 months in prison in Russia.
American basketball player releases book on 'cruel' memoirs
SPORTS
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / v421
Basketball player Britney Grainer announced on Tuesday that she is preparing a book about her 10-month imprisonment in Russia until December 2023, after being released in an exchange deal between Moscow and Washington.
Britney Grainer said: “That day in February was the beginning of an incomprehensible period in my life, and I ’ m now ready to share it.
The main reason I returned to Russia at the time was that I wanted my wife (lesbian), family and colleagues to be proud of me.
After 10 very difficult months behind bars, I am grateful that I have been rescued and that I am at home.
Readers will listen to my story and understand why I am so grateful for the support of people from all over the world. ”
The book of the American national team player and the UMMC team from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2024.
In February 2022, Britney Grainer was detained at Moscow ’ s Sheremetyevo International Airport on charges of attempting to smuggle drugs into Russia.
The Moscow District Court of Khimki sentenced the American basketball player to 9.5 years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles (about $20,000) after she was convicted of smuggling and keeping drugs – hashish oil.
Britney Greiner, who was detained in Russia from February to December 2023, was released in an exchange deal with Russian businessman Viktor Bout, and the exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Britney Grainer, 32, won the 2014 Basketball World Cup in Turkey, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2018 World Cup in Spain and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Prior to her arrest, she played for the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
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Title:

Content: Brittney Griner's teammates speak out about her "devastating" 9-year sentence in Russia: "It's a helpless feeling"

WNBA star Brittney Griner's nine-year prison sentence in Russia on Thursday has sent shockwaves back to her loved ones in the U.S. After she sentenced for having vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil at a Moscow airport this year – which she says was an accident – her Phoenix Mercury teammates spoke out about the "devastating" situation.

Following the Mercury's 77-64 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, guard Skylar Diggins-Smith told reporters "nobody wanted to even play today."

"It's our sister," Diggins-Smith said. "...I don't expect everybody to give a damn, but we really do. And we come out here and we're still supposed to play this f---ing game. ... How are you supposed to approach the game, approach the court with a clear mind and the whole group is crying before the game?"

She went on to say that the team wants to honor Griner and play hard on her behalf, but that doing so can be difficult given the circumstances.

Mercury guard Diamond DeShields shared the sentiment, saying she's proud to be a part of the team and how hard they played on Thursday.

"We approached the game tonight with a heavy heart as we have every game this season," she said. "But obviously, devastating is the overall sentiment. ... I mean, it's like you're just waiting for a bomb to drop, you know? Just watching it, seeing her behind bars."

"It's a helpless feeling," Diggins-Smith added.

The two also questioned the press for persistently asking the team about Griner's situation.

"It's heavy. It's just heavy, y'all," Diggins-Smith said. "Y'all asking these questions don't really take away from our trauma. You just add to our trauma, so we can break down in front of y'all, so you can see how we feel. I don't know what else to really say about it."

During Thursday's game, both teams embraced each other at half-court for 42 seconds of silence – Griner's jersey number – to honor the basketball star. The silence was followed by chants of "BG" and "bring her home."

Griner, 31, is a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star with the Mercury, and in her WNBA off-season, she plays for Russia's Yekaterinburg team. She was arrested in February at a Moscow airport when workers found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, which her legal team argued she had accidentally stowed while packing in haste.

Griner was convicted on Thursday for drug possession and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She was also fined 1 million rubles, about $16,000.

President Biden immediately called for Griner's release on Thursday, calling the conviction and sentence "unacceptable." And on Friday, Russia said it is ready to discuss a prisoner swap. In recent days, the White House has offered a swap with the country, asking for both Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to be released. The U.S. has not confirmed who they would release as part of the swap.

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Title:

Content: 2024 Paris Olympics
Britney Spears to return to Europe after release from Russia: France is good and safe
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American basketball star Brittney Griner, who returned to Europe for the Olympics after spending nine months in a Russian prison, said she felt "good and safe" in France.
Spears was detained at Moscow airport in February 2022 on drug charges and released in December of the same year in a prisoner exchange with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Britney Spears, 33, who is 2.06 meters tall, is once again competing in Europe.
She was particularly relaxed during the U.S. women's basketball team's first Olympic training session in Lille on Thursday.
She said, “I ’ m fine.
"Everyone wants to know how it feels to be back here after all this, but I feel good and safe in France, so I'm just looking forward to the game."
A prominent advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT +) community, Spears was playing for the Russian league in Yekaterinburg at the time of her arrest.
She now plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women ’ s Professional Basketball League (WNBA) and insists she will not consider returning to European clubs.
Britney said: "Of course, I will come here at some point with my family for a holiday, but European basketball is over for me.
I want to be with my family, with my little son, and I don ’ t want to miss anything.
Anyway, it's time to end the chapter, it's just not what I wanted it to be.
In an interview with ABC in April, Spears said she had contemplated suicide while in captivity in Russia.
The seventh-seeded United States will begin their Olympic journey in Lille on Sunday, with the first match against Japan.
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Griner wrote to President Biden, and officials including Antony Blinken and Roger Carstens kept high-level engagement with Russia.

Title:

Content: The U.S. government said WNBA star Britney Greiner was "unjustly arrested" by Russia in February.
The United States government believes that WNBA star Britney Grenier was unjustly arrested by Russia.
According to ESPN.
Greiner was accused of carrying e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil concentrated in marijuana in her luggage in February and has not been allowed to leave Russia since then.
Rousse claims that Greiner is under investigation on charges of “large-scale drug trafficking – a crime for which in Russia you can get up to 10 years in prison. ”
The reason for the change of the case by the US government is not reported.
“The State Department found that the Russian Federation illegally detained a US citizen Britney Greiner.
In making this decision, the President ’ s Special Representative for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, will lead the interagency task force to secure the release of Britney Greiner, ” a State Department spokesperson told ESPN.
.
That Grainer is being unjustly detained is a big step in the right direction towards bringing her home.
This means that the US government will immediately begin negotiations on his return to America.
Initially, the U.S. government had to wait for the next hearing in Russia on May 19 to begin negotiations with a foreign government for her release.
To show support for one of the league ’ s biggest stars, the WNBA announced on Tuesday that a Griner 42 floor-standing sticker will be placed in every stadium this season.
“With the start of the 2022 season, we ’ re keeping Britney at the forefront of what we ’ re doing in basketball and in society, ” WBA Commissioner Katie Engelbert said in a statement.
“We continue to work on bringing Britney home and appreciate the support provided by the BG community and her family during this very difficult time. ”
NHL players will miss the Olympics in Beijing

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Content: NewsNational News

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US submits offer to Russia for release of Americans Whelan, Griner

Posted at 2:49 PM, Jul 27, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-27 14:52:33-04

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that he plans to talk to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the release of Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.

Blinken said the US has made a "substantial proposal" in hopes of bringing home the two Americans detained in Russia.

Griner, a WNBA all-star, was in court on Wednesday as her drug trial continued. She has remained detained in Russian custody since February.

Whelan has been held by Russia since 2018 and was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years for spying.

Blinken said his upcoming conversation with Lavrov will mark the first time since the start of the war that he has talked to the Russian foreign minister.

The US considers Whelan and Griner “wrongfully detained” and that they “must be allowed to come home.”

“We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release,” Blinken said. “Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal and I will use that conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution.”

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

The handwritten letter penned by the Phoenix Mercury star was received at the White House in July 4.

I realize you are dealing with so much, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

But please don't forget about me and the other American detainees.

Please do all you can to bring us home, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February after cannabis oil was allegedly discovered in her luggage.

Her trial for the offense began last week.

Griner also described the fear and pain she is experiencing by being detained in Russia.

I'm terrified I might be here forever, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran.

, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

I believe in you.

I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council stated July 4 the U.S. position that "the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner.".

President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner.

, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The U.S. government continues to work aggressively – using every available means — to bring her home, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The President's team is in regular contact with Brittney's family and we will continue to work to support her family, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN

On December 8, 2022, a UAE-facilitated swap in Abu Dhabi freed her, with Saudi involvement and pardons for both prisoners.

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Content: The Ministry of Emergency Situations warned about snowfall and wind in Moscow over the weekend
NEWS
December 16, 21: 54
Politics
Biden ’ s miscalculation on Russia was a victory for Putin and a blow to the United States – media
Photo: TASS / Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
The agreement between Russia and America on the exchange of Victor Bout and Brittney Greiner was a mistake for the United States.
This opinion was expressed by columnist Maximilian Hess in the material for Foreign Policy.
As noted by the observer, the mistake of American leader Joe Biden is his agreement to exchange Bout for a person who is not related to the special services and the US diplomatic corps.
This has had a negative impact on Americans, including those abroad.
The observer called the exchange of Bout for Greiner a victory for Putin and a blow to the national security of the United States.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump also reacted negatively to the exchange of prisoners.
According to him, the exchange was unequal.
Victor Bout was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years for arms trafficking.
He was exchanged for Greiner, convicted of possessing hashish oil banned in Russia, at Abu Dhabi airport on December 8 after he served almost half of his prison sentence in the United States.
Before the exchange, prisoners were pardoned, so they do not need to serve their sentences in their countries.
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Content: In a joint statement issued on 14 Jumada I 1444H (corresponding to 8 December 2022), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the successful mediation led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, for the release and exchange of two prisoners. and the Russian Federation.
The joint statement issued by the two ministries stressed that the success of the mediation efforts is a reflection of the strong mutual friendship between their countries, the United States of America and the Russian Federation, and the important role played by the leaders of the two brotherly countries in promoting dialogue between all parties.
The statement pointed out that Abu Dhabi received on 14 Jumada Al Awal 1444H (December 8, 2022), US citizen Britney Grainer via a private jet coming from Moscow, after the release of the Russian authorities, in conjunction with the reception of Russian citizen Victor Bout via a private jet coming from Washington, after the release of the US authorities, in the presence of specialists from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The US and Russian sides have handed over their citizens in preparation for their transfer to their countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed the gratitude of the Governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Governments of the United States of America and the Russian Federation for their cooperation and response to the joint mediation efforts of the leaderships of the two countries.

The swap was a rare post-invasion U.S.-Russia cooperation that did not improve relations and drew criticism as unequal, though the White House called Bout’s release a manageable risk.

Title:

Content: Sands: the exchange of Bout for Greiner does not mean the improvement of relations between Russia and the United States
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the exchange of Russian Viktor Bout for American basketball player Brittney Greiner does not indicate positive changes in relations between Moscow and Washington.
As the press Secretary of the head of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the parties discussed only the release of citizens.
The special services were responsible for the process, Peskov added.
"Bilateral relations continue to remain in a sad and crisis state," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Earlier, the journalists of The American Spectator called the exchange of Booth for Greiner a manifestation of the weakness of the States before Russia.
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Victor Bout extradited to the United States
Author Evgenia Vasilyeva.
Evgenia Vasilyeva – journalist, correspondent of the Pravda.Ru news service
Curator Lyubov Stepushova
Lyubov Aleksandrovna Stepushova — columnist of Pravda.Ru *

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Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
White House warns of risk of Russian businessman Viktor Bout returning to arms trade
John Kirby, the White House National Security Council ’ s strategic communications coordinator, said the United States was aware of the potential risks to the country ’ s national security if Russian businessman Victor Bout decided to return to his former line of business, but considered it “manageable. ”
The United States and Russia exchanged American basketball player Britney Grenier and Bot in a prisoner swap on Thursday.
Bot was serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for arms trafficking.
Earlier this year, Greiner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for illegally bringing cannabis oil into the country.
Kirby told Fox New: “Mr. Boot has choices to make, and if he chooses to return to this kind of work, we will do our best to hold them accountable as we have done in the past. ”
The White House official said Washington had conducted a national security assessment of the potential risks associated with Bot ’ s release and concluded that it could have been “managed ” to make the deal with Russia.

Her case showed how public figures can be leveraged in geopolitical confrontations and highlighted the vulnerability of a Black, openly gay American woman in Russia.

Title:

Content: WNBA All-Star Game Presents Britney Greiner in Special T-Shirt and Continues to Pray for Her Freedom
CHICAGO.
Dozens of Britney Greener came Sunday morning to Winterrust Arena to celebrate the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game.
“If it ’ s one of us, we ’ re all, ” Nika Ogomets, president of the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA), said Friday night on the orange carpet.
In the second half of the game, that was all of them.
Players from both teams came out of the locker rooms in new T-shirts with the name Griner and number 42.
They started the match in warm-up shirts, which were listed as such, but the first half was played in their shirts.
“It was our way of honoring her memory, ” WNBPA Vice President Sue Bird said after Wilson ’ s victory.
“I hope at some point she sees a photo or something and makes it clear that she is always in our thoughts and hearts.
But it ’ s also a way to get other people to see her name. don ’ t know about this story and go, “Oh, why are you wearing all this? ”
“Same shirt number? ”
And at times like these, it gets attention, and what it does is constantly remind the Biden administration that we support them.
"And whatever they do to get Britney home, we're behind it."
Greener ’ s presence and name have been talked about all weekend in Chicago, from a press conference with Al Sharpton to players who even mentioned her name.
The chance that the rapper wears a Phoenix Mercury T-shirt during a party that was publicly broadcast on AT & T. His wife Cheryl Greiner was sitting on the pitch of the All-Star Game.
It was hard to miss one of the few competitions broadcast on national television that the WNBA held this season.
“It ’ s the perfect time, ” Wings goalkeeper Eris Oganboal said ahead of Saturday ’ s competition in a pop-up window at McCormick Place.
“ESPN, ABC, we ’ re in prime time, so anytime we can say her name, we ’ ll do it. ”
Confrontation on the strategic river Ukraine, which is eagerly awaited by Russian forces
Griner was named an honorary participant of the All-Star Game, and since February it has been held in Russia.
This is her eighth choice, and Wintrust Arena viewers applauded standing up when her name was announced.
The WNBA champion and two-time Olympic champion pleaded guilty on Thursday to drug charges in a Russian court, expected as part of a strategy to bring her home.
It was a day before the festivities began in Chicago, which many players called some of the best they had ever seen.
“I really want to start and repeat, obviously we ’ re thinking about Britney Grenier at this time, ” WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert said in her opening remarks to the media before the game.
“This continues to be a huge priority for us [and] Continue to receive our full support.
Of course, fully focus on getting home safely and as quickly as possible.
She ’ s always with us and our thoughts are with her this weekend. ”
Her name and the inscription "Bring BJ Home" could be seen on T-shirts and badges throughout the Square area all weekend.
The staff of the WNBA event at the stadium wore a warm-up, so that the name Griner appeared in front of almost 10,000 people in a fully sold out arena.
“Clearly [she ’ s] We think, ” Mercury teammate Skylar Diggins Smith said.
“That ’ s our priority in this league.
We ’ re talking about “we ’ re BG, ” and what it means to us, just trying to embody her spirit, continue her legacy and stay on the alert as much as possible in our efforts to help her home and get those messages abroad.
Stephen R. Brownley 1986-2021 | News, Sports, Jobs
Las Vegas Aces manager Becky Hammon said she hoped national awareness “could lead to pressure on the Russian government to do the right thing and leave things as they are. ”
Greiner was arrested shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in the ongoing war, raising fears that the star could become a political prisoner.
Some consider her status as a pioneer in the LGBTQ + community, as well as the fact that she is a black American, the reason for her arrest and danger.
Russian customs officers said that she was detained because of allegedly found in her luggage cartridges for electronic cigarettes containing cannabis oil.
Her team of lawyers called her a “small sum ” after she pleaded guilty.
She faces 10 years in prison.
The invasion prompted the WNBA and player agents to help the remaining league players in the Grinerer UMMC Ekaterinburg team leave Russia.
Since then, the team has been kicked out of the Euroleague, and its stars have already signed up somewhere else, especially in Turkey, for the WNBA 2022-23 season.
Grainer is one of many players playing abroad to compensate for low wages in the West, which peaked at $119,000 in 2019.
This group includes Belgian Emma Mesemann, who played there with Griner for several years and said the name on the T-shirt was meant for others to keep her name on top.
She said the players are already doing it and they are worried.
“She ’ s a very strong person, but in these circumstances you just hope you don ’ t break her, ” said Messman o Greiner, who has been talking about mental health in recent years.
“I was very happy to hear her news in the letter and read that it hangs there.
The winner of the OT in Mangyapan helped Canada beat Russia at the world hockey championship
“I can only hope that it will end very quickly, that we can see her, that we can see her just fine.
It means a lot to us, thinking about her here almost every day.
He ’ s not just in the All-Star Game now, every day. ”
On Friday, the WNBPA held a press conference in front of the orange carpet with Sharpton and Grenier ’ s wife, Cheryl.
The Federation has shown its strength over the past few years and knows how to work collectively to achieve the goal.
Updates about the number of days Griner has been detained are constantly appearing on players ’ social media profiles, and Stewart does so every single day.
Stewart, who played for Greener in Yekaterinburg and has one of the biggest single player venues in the league, said the federation was able to intervene, coordinate messages and “be the main go-between for us so we can use our voice. ”
“We ’ re all fighting together to bring her home, and I think when you have, as Sue said earlier, the power in quantity, it produces an even bigger spike, ” Stewart said.
"And we're getting attention, we're getting people's attention, and we need to keep asking President Biden and the White House to bring her home."
Aside from awareness, pressure, and consistent communication, the league, the players ’ union, or any fan can do little.
The trial of Griner will continue as usual in Russia, even with a confession of guilt.
Players will continue to think about her daily life, last weekend, and even the WNBA Finals if she isn ’ t home.
And this is a very likely possibility, according to foreign policy experts.
“Not a day goes by that I don ’ t think about Britney Grenier, ” said Adja Wilson, captain of the team that led the vote.
“So putting on her shirt and letting the world know we ’ re not full without her, I think that ’ s a statement in itself.
When we play on ABC and ESPN [we ’ re], show that it ’ s real and realize that we ’ re not going to stop until everyone understands how dangerous it really is. ”

Title:

Content: Last Updated on July 4, 2022 by BVN

S. E. Williams |

The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”

Lorde further stated, “We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”

However, in the decades since Lorde penned those words many Black lesbians are no longer silent. Yet, we must ask the question, how safe are Black lesbians today? Perhaps we should ask WNBA basketball star, Brittney Griner, who is among the growing number of prominent Black lesbians in America living out loud.

Most have battle scar evidence of their struggle to find a peaceful life in a world that in many ways, still considers who they are and who they love an aberration.  And, although disrespect and dangers continue to lurk for members of the LGBTQ+ community in America, it is still safer to live here than in many other places in the world.

Unfortunately for Griner, however, she is now trapped in a country, where racism against Blacks is normalized and where the government is working to ostracize members of the LGBTQ+ community. But how different is this really from many places in America today.

Despite the spread of anti-gay sentiments in Russia and right leaning countries across Europe, Griner plays basketball internationally during the WNBA’s off season. This despite writing about her “coming out” in her 2017 autobiography, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” which helped make her one of the most recognizable lesbians in the world.

Racism and Homophobia in Russia

For those who have not followed Griner’s fate in recent months, she was arrested on drug charges in Russia on February 17. Her arrest came just days after a Russian court suspended a lawsuit (February 11) intended to shut down its LGBT Network—the country’s most powerful gay rights organization—for  purportedly spreading gay views, which of course, could farcically include anything from a view out one’s window of gay people walking down the street, to realistically include gay people advocating for the same rights to live and love as they choose like any other Russian.

Identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer has been legal in Russia since 1993 (how enlightened) however in 2013 under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, the nation adopted what’s been called the “gay propaganda” law that made it illegal to speak words related to the LGBTQ+ community around minors.

Racism and homophobia in America

Before Russia took such action, America was already contriving to do the same.

There has been much criticism recently of Florida’s recently enacted Parental Rights in Education Bill signed into law in April that appeared to follow Russia’s lead. But, it was revealed by The Center for Media and Democracy (Center), a nonprofit that tracks the work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that the Parental Rights Amendment was actually listed under its “Education Task Force and included in the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation.

Also, according to the Center, although ALEC has tried to distance itself from this controversial legislation since 2011, it is difficult to identify any efforts to advocate against the current movement to codify this legislative into law across the country.

ALEC is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts models of legislation for distribution and adoption by conservative legislatures around the country and for decades has worked to pull America toward extremism.

Sadly, Florida’s recent law is just the tip of the iceberg. Anti LGBTQ+ toxicity is spreading quickly in America. Red states from Ohio to Texas to Indiana to Colorado to Wyoming to South Dakota, Iowa, Utah and beyond   have pushed to pass similar bills. In some instances state’s were only prevented from doing so by Democratic legislators who held the line against Republican, anti-gay governors seeking to work their will.

As we watch and point with deserved derision and criticism, the unfolding fate of Griner in Russia, Time magazine provided a chilling reminder in mid-May, of what is possible in America regarding the welfare of LGBTQ+ citizens. It recalled the successful work of  Florida’s Johns Committee—a state legislative committee that launched an LGBTQ+ purge in the late 1950s rooted in racism, homophobia, and anti-communism.

Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1963 the Florida legislative committee persecuted and intimidated those suspected of being gay at state universities as part of the state’s resistance to federally sanctioned school desegregation in response to the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

According to Time, the committee’s original goal was to uncover all communists believed to be behind desegregation. Not surprisingly since it was based on a false premise, that mission failed. This subsequently compelled the committee to find another group to scapegoat—gays and lesbians. This eventually led to a report popularly known as “The Purple Pamphlet”( because of its sensational and explicit content), that highlighted “the extent of infiltration into agencies supported by state funds by practicing homosexuals.”

By1965, hundreds of Floridians were prosecuted and charged because of their sexuality. Frighteningly, not unlike the experiences of Griner in Russia today, Florida interrogations were reportedly conducted in privacy and even worse, the accused were denied legal counsel.

A need to raise our collective voices

Today, as Griner languishes in a Russian prison—most assuredly because she is Black and a lesbian who may or may not have committed a minor drug infraction in a racist, homophobic country —,there are legitimate concerns about her safety.  As her detention days turn into weeks and weeks into months, there is little doubt it is up to all of us, Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who support and validate our right to exist and every American committed to human rights to pressure the federal government to bring her home. We must raise our collective voices to keep Griner’s freedom at the forefront of America’s political consciousness.

Audre Lorde lamented about the fate of Black lesbians in her seminal work the Black Unicorn where she noted “’The black unicorn was mistaken for a shadow or symbol and taken through a cold country…, ” She further spoke to the power of Black women/lesbian strength and determination to live their truth stating,  “the Black unicorn is unrelenting.” I pray this perceived power is enough to sustain Griner (her wife and loved ones) in the days ahead.

In concluding her poem Lorde also reminded all of us that although the metaphorical Black unicorn is empowered, as we are witnessing today decades after Lorde put pen to paper on this issue, as it relates to Griner, “the Black unicorn is not free.”

Raise your voice to advocate for Griner’s freedom by calling the U.S. Department of State at 1-202-647-4000 and the White House at 202-456-1111 to advocate for Griner’s release. Remember, “Silence is complicity.”

Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.

S.E. Williams

Stephanie Williams is executive editor of the IE Voice and Black Voice News. A longtime champion for civil rights and justice in all its forms, she is also an advocate for government transparency and committed to ferreting out and exposing government corruption. Stephanie has received awards for her investigative reporting and for her weekly column, Keeping it Real. Contact Stephanie with tips, comments. or concerns at myopinion@ievoice.com.

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Content: Connect with us

Opinions

Where does wrongful detention of Brittney Griner go from here?

She will inevitably be labeled a hostage

Published

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Brittney Griner

It seems like years rather than weeks ago that American political prisoner, Trevor Reed, was released from Russia in a prisoner swap. It also seems like years since an American citizen, basketball superstar Brittney Griner, was taken into custody in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession.

We now know what many of us believed all along – that Brittney Griner was, in the far too late proclamation by the U.S. government, “wrongfully detained.” In diplomacy-speak, wrongfully detained is synonymous with politically detained, which is super close to what will soon enough inevitably happen – calling Brittney Griner a hostage.

Since the beginning of Griner’s detention, I have done dozens of print, radio, TV, and related interviews, and I have a pretty clear view of how and why we got here.

As I wrote around six weeks ago, if we read between the lines of what’s being said in traditional and social media, we can extract three key reasons why the Griner situation isn’t getting the attention that it should be and would be if it was a different athlete.

The first reason is that Brittney Griner is not a terribly high-profile athlete.

This is patently untrue. As I have been commenting from the minute we learned that she was taken into custody by the Russians, Griner was absolutely the highest-profile American athlete that Russia could have taken into custody as they were preparing for their brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The only other high-profile athletes playing in Russia or transiting through at that time were the very few American players in Russia’s top hockey league, the KHL. None are superstars in their sport, as Griner is.

The second argument for why Griner isn’t getting the attention she should be is that she is LGBTQ.

I have argued that this is a reasonably good hypothesis. It just seems that a straight athlete would be getting a lot more attention and public sympathy than Griner has, in part, yet not in full, because of her sexual orientation. That’s a remarkably harsh position to have to take in 2022, yet it’s clear that Griner doesn’t fit the mold of what many Americans see as that all-American athlete. That one’s sexual or gender orientation should drive the American public’s level of sympathy for one of their own top athletes is a shame, but here we are.

The third and most commonly cited reason for Brittany Griner getting less attention than another athlete in a similar situation is that she’s Black.

This argument holds little weight with me. Yes, it makes sense that in comparison to a high-profile white athlete, some people are simply going to care less about a Black athlete. Again, that’s a harsh analysis, yet not unaligned with many things going on in the nation today.

But I think this is a reductive argument that crumbles under the weight of the analogy that I usually use during TV and radio broadcasts about the Griner case – and that is, what if this was Kyrie Irving?

I like to use Kyrie Irving as an analogy because he is a highly controversial Black athlete. Obviously, NBA players don’t have to have second jobs in places like Russia, Turkey, and China, to make ends meet, as the WNBA women do. But just imagine that Kyrie Irving was traveling alone through Moscow airport. If Irving had been taken into custody by the Russians, I can guarantee that this would be front-page news not just in the sports section but on the front page of all significant papers practically every day. That simply hasn’t been the case with Brittney Griner.

Every day, I am asked where this goes from here. With Griner’s May 19 hearing delayed “one month” (though at the time of writing, no date has been set), I remained convinced of two things: that this goes to a worse place than we are now and that it progresses painfully slowly.

As to the first point, to maximize leverage over the United States, it’s likely that Griner will end up somewhere like a Russian labor camp before she ever steps back into the United States. While Russia does not follow the Rule of Law, it would be neither legally nor politically expedient to just hold Griner in a Moscow jail or prison indefinitely. They need to make her situation worse to turn up the urgency of the case for the American government.

But this indeed won’t happen overnight. As I’ve also been saying all along, the next hearing date will also be delayed, OR we will learn through a TASS Russian media release that Griner was tried, found guilty of all charges, and sentenced (see labor camp, above).

As to what each of us can do, my advice remains the same: Keep talking about it. Make this Brittney as viral as Britney Spears was a year ago. Just as Britney Spears’ freedom from her conservatorship was turbo-charged by the #FreeBritney hashtag, let’s #FreeBrittney now.

This is significantly less trite than it sounds. There is no indication that the American government doesn’t want you to forget about Brittney Griner. As former hostage Jason Rezaian discussed on an excellent recent Washington Post podcast, he always “calls BS” on those parties, saying we should keep detentions such as Griner’s out of the public spotlight. He advocates being as loud as we can be on this, which is why I keep doing interviews on this issue as much as possible.

Ultimately, Brittney Griner will be a political prisoner until the United States and Russia can decide, in crass basketball terms, on a fair player trade. On Friday, we learned that the two sides might actually be in discussions now for a trade involving Griner for notorious convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, aka the “Merchant of Death.”

Unless this can re-enter and remain in the public spotlight, along with any pressure on the government, Britney Griner will not get the treatment she deserves as one of the greatest basketball players of her generation. That the massive disparity between how NBA and WNBA players are compensated laid the foundation for her to be in this position is the harsh reality these leagues face today. Yet it pales compared to the uncertain reality Griner faces today in a Moscow jail.

A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief legal analyst for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world.

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Leave no one behind: Building an LGBTQ+ movement for all

A just society is only achievable by investing in dignity of the marginalized

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Despite the expansion of LGBTQ+ civil rights and liberties in D.C., some of which we proudly attribute to GLAA’s stalwart activism for the past 51 years, the most vulnerable members of our community continue to suffer from poverty, homelessness, criminalization, discrimination, social isolation, and preventable death. A jaw-dropping 40% of homeless youth in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ people experience hunger at twice the rate of straight people, and right here in D.C., the Office of Human Rights reports that employers are more likely to interview a less-qualified cisgender job applicant than a more-qualified transgender applicant.

So for our 2022 candidate ratings, GLAA decided to emphasize that racial and economic justice are LGBTQ+ justice issues. While we recognize the importance of openly LGBTQ+ candidates, we know one’s identity does not indicate where they stand on critical issues. Something many of us have learned the hard way, and something GLAA leadership recognizes not championing sooner as a mistake. What matters most is a candidate’s demonstrated record and vision to support the LGBTQ+ community in its entirety.

It is not enough for candidates to respond only to the needs of those who historically have held the most power in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly white cisgender gay men, in order to tout support of the entire community. The LGBTQ+ community is so many different people, and it is time we push candidates to consider and address us in our entirety. For too long, many LGBTQ+ people have felt rejected and betrayed by our community’s movement priorities, narratives about what our community stands for, and decisions on who is valued and who is selected to represent or lead us. And, while GLAA understands no one politician or organization can erase these community divides, we aim to be intentional in our approach to dismantle that which stands in our entire community’s way toward liberation. That is why, in 2022 we decided to rate candidates on their responses and records of support on issues that impact the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community. None of us is free until all of us are free.

Throughout GLAA’s history we have focused on securing LGBTQ+ rights, which have mostly strengthened the legal protections of people privileged enough to take advantage of them. GLAA decided to focus the Leave No One Behind: 2022 Election Guide and questionnaire on racial and economic justice with an LGBTQ+ lens. We did this to build on our victories, such as successfully advocating for the defunding of the Metropolitan Police Department’s vice squad in the 1970s, and to learn from our mistakes.

It is our belief that a just, peaceful, and vibrant society is only achievable by actively investing in the security and dignity of the poor and marginalized members of all our communities. Our questionnaire intentionally acts in solidarity with D.C. anti-poverty, anti-stigma, and anti-overdose campaigns, which are largely led by trans and queer people of color.

Ratings are on a scale of +/-10 points: yes/no responses on questionnaire (+/-2); substance of response (+/-4); and candidate’s public record (+/-4). Candidates earned partial credit for the yes/no category if they partially agreed with the question. Four issues received more than 91% agreement: increasing the affordable housing stock for the poorest residents, housing people using government funded vouchers, fully funding the Office of Human Rights, and better oversight to improve conditions in the DC Jail.

Three issues received 70-79% candidates’ support, and over 90% when including candidates who issued partial support: Repealing the sub-minimum wage, decriminalization of drug use, and reducing the population of D.C. jail by 30%.

Finally, the least supported policies were decriminalization of consensual sex work and divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department and investing in violence prevention and recidivism prevention programs. Even still, there was remarkable consensus: over 2/3 or 66% of candidates who issued total or partial support.

We are encouraged by the remarkable level of consensus on all of our issues, signaling that D.C. is ready for transformative change that at its core addresses the District’s current poverty, unaffordable housing, community and police-based violence, and overdose crises.

GLAA is excited to see more LGBTQ+ people on ballots. More exciting, however, is the number of politicians with fully realized and integrated LGBTQ+ policies in their platforms. Policies that extend across race and class lines. GLAA firmly believes all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can be stewards of LGBTQ+ liberation. It is our hope that readers find these ratings not as endorsements, but as a starting point to imagine what is possible if local officials are guided by D.C. residents to use their elected power to create new possibilities that leave no one behind.

This opinion piece was signed by the 2022 Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance board of directors.

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GLAA has lost its way and should close

Their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election

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(Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), once a respected organization, has now lost its way. It once represented all the members of the LGBTQ+ community, clearly no longer the case, as one can tell based on their questionnaire and ratings. They now represent only the far left in the community and are seeking to represent more than LGBTQ+ people as the statement from their current president suggests. That is not the role of GLAA.

One of the questions in this year’s questionnaire that candidates were asked to respond to is: “Do you support divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to further invest in vital programs, including anti-poverty, violence prevention, crisis intervention, and reentry?” If you didn’t say yes, you lost points. This shows how out of touch they are as the DC Council just voted unanimously, on a first vote, to raise the budget of the MPD. The approved budget also includes increased funding for other vital programs. There’s no indication GLAA ever spoke to Council members on this issue.

Its website lists five officers, all men, with a blurb on each. The one for the president, in addition to listing past and current employment, says, “When he is not organizing, he loves asking people about their Myers Briggs Type (he is ENFP, for the record), doing gay crimes (the basics like drugs and public sex), having Spicy Vanilla sex, dancing to hot beats on the dance floor, practicing vulnerability, plotting revolution against capitalism and other forms of oppression.” He is entitled to his views. But I question how his leading the GLAA represents the broader LGBTQ+ community.

Over the years I’ve had issues with some of what GLAA has done and some of the issues they focused on. But the organization always represented the entire spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community in their questionnaire. Candidates getting a rating from the organization could feel it represented a wide range of opinion in the community. I would hope no candidate tries to pawn the current ratings off as any kind of support from the broader LGBTQ + community.

In the past you always knew their officers, including Rick Rosendall, Bob Summersgill and Jeff Coudriet among others, were involved with D.C. government and knew the issues in-depth. They knew the candidates. Responding to their questionnaire over the years was always interesting. Rick often was the one who spent hours drafting the questions. I always wondered why it was never enough to say yes you agree with their premise. Instead, you had to say it in hundreds, even thousands, of words to earn points. I know as I have filled out questionnaires for many candidates.

Today their website lists nine project areas, none with anything accomplished since 2016. The blog has nothing on any recent budget issues or legislation pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community, only information about the questionnaire. They claim to lobby the Council and monitor government agencies, but there is no indication of any meetings or testimony since 2017.

We can thank GLAA for the fact that today no politician can win office in D.C. without being supportive of the LGBTQ community. However, today their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election. Since this is now the only thing they do it’s time to close up shop. We have moved past the time in D.C. when a small number of people can sit in a room rating candidates they don’t know, on issues that don’t represent the community they are supposed to be representing.

So personally, I say thank you to all the people who worked hard over many years for GLAA to help move the LGBTQ community forward. I recognize there is much work still to be done but GLAA is not the organization to do it. We must work to ensure economic and civil justice for all members of our community; health equity for transgender persons; senior housing for our community; and employment opportunities for all, among other issues. But there are other LGBTQ organizations, and community organizations, doing these things better and the few members GLAA might still have should be directed to those other organizations.

If as their website claims they are planning an anniversary celebration, it should be one to honor all the people who in the past 50 years of the organization, worked hard and were successful in making my life and the lives of so many LGBTQ people in the District of Columbia and around the nation better. That would be an exciting way to say goodbye and celebrate the organization whose time it is to close.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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An unlikely revolution is happening at Christian universities

More than half have enacted LGBTQ non-discrimination policies

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Recent headlines have been filled with messages of doom and gloom for LGBTQ people. From bans on transgender women competing in sports to “don’t say gay” laws, it seems evident that conservative Republicans are freshly committed to rolling back the rights of LGBTQ people across the United States.

Yet, despite such recent setbacks, a student-led movement for LGBTQ inclusion is gaining ground in what would seem to be one of the unlikeliest settings — Christian colleges and universities.

Over the past few years, I’ve collected extensive data on U.S. Christian colleges and universities’ policies toward LGBTQ students. In one study, I found that 55% of all Christian colleges and universities in the United States have nondiscrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation. In another recent study, I found that nearly half of all Christian colleges and universities are home to officially recognized LGBTQ student groups.

Even some of the most conservative Christian colleges and universities have changed their approach to LGBTQ students. When analyzing data collected in 2013, I found that nearly one-third of all Christian colleges and universities had adopted bans on so-called “homosexual acts” or “homosexual behavior” in their student handbooks. Yet, when reviewing Christian colleges and universities’ handbooks again over the past year, I found that under one-fourth of Christian colleges and universities had such discriminatory bans.

Why are some Christian colleges and universities becoming more accommodating—and even welcoming—to LGBTQ students?

There are several major reasons, but one of the most important is that several Christian denominations already embrace their LGBTQ members. Denominations such as the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Disciples of Christ, and Presbyterian Church USA, for example, allow ministers to officiate same-sex weddings. An increasing number of nondenominational churches also affirm LGBTQ people. Those Christian colleges and universities that are already associated with affirming denominations are certainly among the most likely to affirm their LGBTQ students.

Another reason that many Christian colleges and universities are becoming welcoming toward LGBTQ students is that they do not necessarily believe their primary mission is to hold all students to the specific religious tenets of their associated denomination. Rather, they see their primary mission as providing an important service (education) to the broader society. Just as Christian hospitals do not refuse to provide medical treatment to people who are not members of their associated denominations, many Christian colleges and universities have chosen not to deny people an education simply because certain people are not members of their associated denominations.

A rising number of Christian colleges and universities also recognize the harms that occur when people are discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. A recent survey by Religious Exemption Accountability Project shows that 12% of all Christian college and university students self-identify as LGBTQ. Because studies show that LGBTQ people in non-affirming Christian colleges and universities report greater rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, many Christian schools understand they would be harming a significant number of their students if they continued to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

And still other schools are simply concerned with their bottom lines. The United States is projected to go over a “demographic cliff” in 2025, at which time the number of 18-year-olds nationwide will drop dramatically. Some reports say that one-third of all private colleges and universities nationwide will face major financial crises over the next decade, causing them to close or pursue mergers. Many Christian colleges and universities recognize that adopting discriminatory policies toward LGBTQ students would alienate significant portions of their potential student body.

Certainly, despite these encouraging trends, those who are committed to LGBTQ rights should not be complacent. Many schools have still been slow to extend nondiscrimination protections and housing accommodations to trans students. And the Religious Exemption Accountability Project estimates that as many as 100,000 LGBTQ students are currently enrolled at Christian colleges and universities that still refuse to affirm the dignity and rights of LGBTQ people. That organization recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging the federal government’s policy of providing loans even to Christian colleges and universities that otherwise violate Title IX protections for LGBTQ students.

It is likely the case that some Christian colleges and universities will not change their policies toward LGBTQ rights unless they are legally required to do so. Still, at Christian colleges and universities across the United States, LGBTQ students are not waiting around. LGBTQ students are actively mobilizing to bring about inclusive policies at their schools, and at a surprising number of schools, they are succeeding.

Jonathan S. Coley is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University and a Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute.

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Economics drew her to Russia, where nearly 90 WNBA players work overseas in the offseason due to lower U.S. pay.

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Content: Brittney Griner: American women’s basketball superstar detained in Russia

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Brittney Griner, one of America’s most decorated women’s basketball players, has been detained by the Russian Federal Customs Service after it said it discovered vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.

The Customs Service confirmed in a statement issued on Saturday that the detainee in an incident last month at Sheremetyevo airport was a professional basketball player who played in the Women’s National Basketball Association and had also won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but did not release the player’s name.

Related: Russia’s NHL hero Alex Ovechkin has a rare chance to hit Putin where it hurts

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency identified the player as Griner, a seven-time All-Star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury who helped lead Team USA to gold at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games, citing a law enforcement source.

According to the Customs Service statement, drug-sniffing dogs in the airport’s customs area indicated the possible presence of narcotic drugs in the player’s carry-on baggage following her arrival on a flight from New York. A subsequent search of the luggage led to the discovery of the cartridges, a criminal violation under Russian law that carries a sentence of five to 10 years.

The Customs Service also released a video on Saturday in which the airport security services are seen going through the luggage of a passenger identified as Griner.

In a statement to the Guardian, Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas said: “We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

The WNBA said in a release that Griner has the league’s “full support” and “our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States”.

The Mercury echoed those sentiments in a statement issued later Saturday, saying they were “in constant contact” with Griner’s family and their main concern was the player’s safe return.

The 31-year-old Griner, who led Phoenix to the franchise’s third ever title in 2014 and a surprise return to the WNBA finals in October, has also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the offseason since 2015, helping the Russian club to three domestic titles and EuroLeague Women championships in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Nearly 90 of the WNBA’s 144 rostered players have spent time playing overseas during this offseason, where the earnings from their foreign clubs often dwarf what they make in the United States. Griner’s annual salary with UMMC of more than $1m per year is roughly quadruple the WNBA’s league maximum of about $228,000.

It is unclear how long Griner has been detained as Saturday’s statement said only that her arrest took place some time in February. She last played for UMMC on 29 January before the league took a two-week international break for Fiba World Cup qualifying and has been inactive on social media since 5 Feburary.

News of Griner being detained comes as Russian forces continue to bomb civilian targets on the 10th day of its invasion of Ukraine and amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the rest of the world. The US president, Joe Biden, has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and pushed a raft of sanctions with other world leaders against Moscow, which he says have left Putin isolated.

On Saturday, the US state department urged US citizens to leave Russia immediately, re-issuing its travel advisory.

Earlier Saturday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, held an hour-long video call with United States senators in which he called for more support to defend his country from Russia’s invasion.

Rick Scott, a Republican, called for stronger measures against both Russia and its ally Belarus, tweeting that the US should take “EVERY action to destroy their economies”.

Griner is not the first US citizen to have been held in custody by Russian authorities as tensions between the countries have soared, prompting accusations by American officials that Moscow is using the detentions as bargaining chips for a potential prisoner exchange.

In January, Russian officials announced that US teacher Marc Fogel was earlier arrested in a Moscow airport with marijuana and cannabis, accusing the teacher of smuggling drugs into Russia and distributing them among students on a “large scale”.

That revelation followed the detention of two US Marines in separate incidents: Trevor Reed, who was charged with attacking two Russian police officers in a drunken brawl, and Paul Whelan, who was jailed after being convicted on espionage charges.

John Sipher, a national security analyst and veteran of the CIA’s clandestine service, pointed to the “decimated” state of the US embassy in Russia as a complicating factor in Griner’s case.

“There’s been a number of tit-for-tat expulsions over spy cases and the ambassador has been kicked out, so the embassy is under quite a bit of pressure with this crisis,” Sipher said Saturday in an interview on MSNBC. “I think it’s important to publicize her case because that’s the best thing that keeps her safe in this situation, because Russians have a tendency of not treating people very well who are in their custody.”

Griner, a 6ft 9in post player whose nose for the basket is matched only by her shot-blocking prowess, has played her entire nine-year WNBA career with the Mercury after an extraordinary four-year stint at Baylor University, where she led the Bears to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2012. She remains the only NCAA basketball player in history, male or female, to record 2,000 points and 500 blocked shots.

She has also been a trailblazer off the court in her own self-effacing style. Griner matter-of-factly acknowledged that she was a lesbian only days after Phoenix made her the No 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft – becoming one of the few out athletes in American sports at the time and arguably the most prominent – and later revealed that she had been silenced about her sexuality by her college coach over fears that it would hurt recruiting. (The coach did not deny the claim, saying that she was unable to respond specifically due to privacy concerns.)

One of only 11 players to have won NCAA, WNBA, EuroLeague and Olympic titles, Griner is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players of her or any generation.

After release, she underwent evaluation and reintegration at Brooke Army Medical Center and thanked President Biden and supporters.

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Content: Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner arrives in San Antonio after 10 months in Russian custody

Griner was transported to Brook Army Medical Center's reintegration center upon her arrival.

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WNBA star Brittney Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody after customs officials in Moscow allegedly discovered vape canisters containing cannabinoid oil in her luggage.
WNBA star Brittney Griner touched down at San Antonio’s former Kelly Air Force base early Friday morning after 10 months in Russian custody, according to media reports.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was smiling as she stepped off the plane at 4:30 a.m., the Express-News reports. Following her arrival, she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center’s reintegration facility, where she will receive any necessary medical treatment.

Medical experts from UT Health San Antonio told KSAT that Griner also may undergo extensive mental health evaluations.

In February, Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after customs officials allegedly found vape canisters continuing cannabinoid oil in her luggage. In August, she pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. She spent 294 days in Russian custody, according to the daily.

The basketball star was released in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia on Thursday, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

In a statement, Griner's family offered “sincere gratitude” to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home, according to the Express-News. It is unclear how long Griner will be in San Antonio before returning home to her family.

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Content: Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
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Brittney Griner Is Ready to Tell Her ‘Unfathomable’ Story in New Memoir

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will finally tell the story of her Russian detainment.

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Ahead of her return to the WNBA, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has confirmed that she will tell the true story behind her wrongful detainment in Russia. According to The Associated Press, on Tuesday, the eight-time all-star announced that she is working on a memoir about her imprisonment. It is currently scheduled for release in spring 2024.

In February 2022, Griner was stopped in a Moscow airport when the police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The WNBA champion was charged with drug smuggling and possession. After a short trial, the basketball star was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. Just as she was beginning her sentence in a labor camp, in December 2022 the U.S. and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange, with Griner coming home, while convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was released into Russian custody.

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“That day (in February) was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released by Alfred A. Knopf.

When she was arrested, Griner was headed back to Russia to join UMMC Ekaterinburg, the professional team she played for there. Most top WNBA stars play overseas the rest of the year, as they don’t earn much money competing in the United States.

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“The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud,” she said. “After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world.”

The two-time Olympic gold medalist went on to say that she hopes “her book would raise awareness of other Americans detained overseas.” In December 2022, the Baylor alum announced on Instagram that she planned to play during the upcoming season, writing, “I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”

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In February, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury for a one-year deal. She will make her 2023 season debut on the road on Friday, May 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks.