Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022 after authorities found cannabis oil in her luggage. [1].

Cannabis oil is illegal in Russia, and she initially faced up to 10 years in prison under Russian law. [3][12].

The Kremlin denied her arrest was political, but many observers and U.S. officials believed she was being used as a political pawn amid deteriorating U.S.–Russia relations. [2][5].

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further strained diplomacy, making her case a flashpoint in bilateral ties.

Her high profile drew sustained media attention and public pressure in the United States, alongside advocacy from sports leagues and activists. [40][12][63].

U.S. Embassy staff attended her court hearing in Moscow, even as the American diplomatic presence had been “decimated” in Russia, complicating support for citizens abroad. [2].

During pretrial detention, Griner’s custody was extended multiple times, and she spent 117 days without being allowed to make a phone call.

Her trial resumed on July 7, 2022, and she later pleaded guilty, saying the cartridges were an honest mistake tied to a U.S. medical prescription. [3].

In August 2022, a Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison and a fine, underscoring the severity of Russia’s drug penalties. [9].

She was sent to a penal colony in Mordovia, where conditions are known to be poor, with few toilets and no hot water.

Russian penal colonies have been criticized for hard physical labor, overcrowding, inadequate food, limited medical care, and restricted communication, challenges compounded for Americans facing language barriers.

Griner’s time in custody was marked by trauma, stress, and difficulties including language struggles and maintaining exercise, according to accounts from her camp. [9].

In May 2022, U.S. officials determined she was “wrongfully” or “unjustly” detained and shifted her case to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. [12][13].

The administration formed a task force and made multiple offers to Moscow, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing a “substantial proposal” for her release. [13].

President Joe Biden engaged personally, responding to Griner’s letter, calling her wife, and directing his team to remain in close contact with her family.

Negotiations centered on a prisoner swap that included offering Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, while Russia at points pressed for the additional release of Vadim Krasikov.

In December 2022, the United States and Russia finalized a one-for-one exchange of Griner for Bout, with the United Arab Emirates facilitating the transfer. [20][15].

The swap did not include Paul Whelan, another American detained in Russia, highlighting limits and complexities in such negotiations.

Griner’s release was widely viewed as a significant diplomatic achievement and a victory for the Biden administration under intense public scrutiny. [4].

After 10 months in custody—294 days—Griner returned to the United States and entered reintegration care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for medical treatment and mental health evaluations. [20][24].

Her family publicly thanked President Biden and the administration for securing her freedom.

Soon after returning, she began light basketball workouts and dunked, using the sport as part of her recovery.

She later signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury, debuted on May 19, 2023, and was named a WNBA All-Star starter. [27].

In her first nine games she averaged 19.1 points and 6.4 rebounds, and her first game nearly doubled typical attendance, reflecting widespread interest in her return. [28].

League interest surged, with WNBA viewership reported up 49 percent since her return.

Griner has said she will not play overseas again, a decision shaped by her ordeal and a broader conversation about why many WNBA players go abroad for higher pay. [26].

She has become an advocate for wrongful detainees, urging those still held to stay strong and using her platform to highlight their cases. [29].

Griner is also working on a memoir about her detention, scheduled for release in spring 2024.

Her story underscores the intersection of sports, gender, and politics, with particular concerns because she is a Black LGBTQ woman in a country with anti-gay sentiments and laws. [36].

The case shows how prominent athletes can become leverage in geopolitical disputes even as governments deny political motives. [2][5].

It also prompted broader U.S. policy conversations about wrongful detention, sanctions, and tools to deter hostage-taking while prioritizing reunification of detained Americans. [61].

For Griner, the physical and psychological toll of incarceration was significant, and ongoing support from family, medical teams, and the basketball community has been central to her adjustment back home. [9][24][26].

Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022 after authorities found cannabis oil in her luggage. [1].

Title:

Content: Former WNBA star Brittney Griner, who won two U.S. Olympic gold medals in women's basketball, has pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into Russia and faces up to 10 years in prison.
The 31-year-old female athlete was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after cannabis oil was found in her luggage and has been held on suspicion of drug smuggling.
According to the Russian state news agency, Graina pleaded guilty in court, but stressed that she did not intentionally violate the law. Graina said through an interpreter that she did not intentionally carry drugs, but that she accidentally brought them in when she was rushing to pack her bags.
After the court, she left without making any comment to reporters, and the next hearing was set for July 14.
Elizabeth Rood, deputy US ambassador to Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she had spoken to Graina in court and said, “She ’ s in good spirits, she can eat, she can rest, she can study, and I think she ’ s doing very well under the circumstances. ”
"I reiterate the commitment of the United States government to bring Ms. Greene and all American citizens detained for the wrong reasons home safely," Rudd said.
Russian prosecutors accused her of smuggling less than a gram of sesame oil, so in the United States, she was used as a political bargaining chip by Russia.
Russia ’ s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, was angered by the United States ’ characterization of Graina as “wrongly arrested ” and warned that“ attempts by the United States to propagate false statements will not help solve the problem. ”
Since the two scheduled witnesses did not appear, Graina ’ s trial was adjourned, and her temporary detention was granted until December 20, a delay that has been commonplace in Russian courts and seen as prolonging negotiations with the United States.
News outlets have repeatedly speculated that Graina could be used as a prisoner swap, such as Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “merchant of death, ” who has regularly supplied arms to guerrilla groups for decades, and who is said to have been partly referenced in the character archetypes of the film King of Arms.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States in 2010, where he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Another possible candidate is Paul Nicholas Whelan, a former Marine Corps security chief who was convicted by Russia of conspiring to become a spy and sentenced to 16 years.
Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges in Russian court
# Glenna # Russia # USA # Confession # WNBA

Cannabis oil is illegal in Russia, and she initially faced up to 10 years in prison under Russian law. [3][12].

Title:

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.

The Kremlin denied her arrest was political, but many observers and U.S. officials believed she was being used as a political pawn amid deteriorating U.S.–Russia relations. [2][5].

Title:

Content: Britney Grenier ’ s trial could end in conviction, experts say
More than four months after her first arrest, WNBA star Britney Greiner is expected to appear in the Russian courtroom on Friday to begin a drug trial that legal experts say will almost certainly end with a conviction despite the hype in the United States for her release.
“It ’ s mostly biased because the Russian judicial system says they can ’ t be tried until the defendant is found guilty, ” said William Pomerantz, acting director of the Kennan Institute and an expert on Russian law.
There is no real idea or expectation that the accused is innocent.
There is no presumption of innocence. ”
Russian customs officials said they found e-cigarette cartridges with traces of cannabis oil in Griner ’ s luggage as it passed through a checkpoint at an airport near Moscow on February 17.
Colony.
Grenier ’ s lawyer Alexander Boykov said Monday that he expects the trial to begin on Friday and last up to two months.
“At this point, we don ’ t know what evidence they have, ” Pomerance said.
“We don ’ t know how many volumes of evidence they want to read in the registry, but usually in such cases they are huge and significant. ”
Greiner ’ s arrest was an important geopolitical moment during Russia ’ s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and amid Russia ’ s strained diplomatic relations with the United States and some European countries.
From the very beginning of Greiner ’ s arrest, his supporters feared that Russia would use him during a global conflict.
In May, the U.S. State Department confirmed these concerns by declaring Greiner “unjustly detained. ”
As a result, responsibility for this case was transferred to the Government Office, which directs and coordinates U.S. diplomatic and strategic efforts on hostage taking abroad.
Britney has been classified as unjustly detained since April 29, meaning that the US government has established that she is being used as a political tool and, as a result, is negotiating her release regardless of the trial.
This was reported by Agent Greener Lindsay Kagawa Kolas in an email on Wednesday.
“So our expectations, including Britney ’ s family, remain that President Biden will make a deal to bring her home. ”
Qatar-2022: World Cup leaders responded to Norway at the incendiary FIFA conference | football news
The Griner family and their supporters are increasingly turning to President Biden and the U.S. government to seek Griner ’ s release.
Kagawa Kolas recently agreed a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, signed by groups such as the National Women's Organization, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Urban League and the National Action Network.
The letter calls on the government to make a deal to release Greiner.
In April, by agreeing to a prisoner exchange, Russia released Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of endangering Russian police during an altercation.
Kimberly St. Julian-Farnon, Ph.D., said Reed ’ s deteriorating health in Russia was likely a factor in Moscow ’ s willingness to release him.
She is a student of history at the University of Pennsylvania, whose field of study is the experience of African Americans in the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Russia.
“The problem is that politically, Britney is worth a lot more in terms of prisoner trafficking than Trevor Reed, because of her profile, ” said St. Julian-Farnon, who advised the WNBA Players Association on Grenier ’ s detention.
Butt, an international arms dealer, was convicted by an American court and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Russia is also interested in the release of Roman Seleznev, a hacker who was convicted in the United States for conducting a large-scale operation to steal credit cards and personal data and sentenced to 27 years in prison.
In addition to Greiner, Russia has also detained Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage.
“This is a classic dilemma in hostage-taking cases, ” said Thomas Firestone, a former Justice Department official who worked as a lawyer in Moscow.
“If you negotiate a release, you can encourage hostage-taking in the future.
If you don ’ t, a person may never be released. ”
Polarizing “chess player ” Medvedev harbors a dark side
Jake Sullivan, Biden ’ s national security adviser, told reporters on Tuesday that he and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had spoken in recent days with Greiner ’ s wife Cheryl Greiner.
"The United States government is actively trying to solve this problem and bring Britney home," Sullivan said.
“He enjoys the full attention of the president and all senior members of his diplomatic and national security team, ” he added.
"We are actively working to find a solution to this problem and will continue to do so without rest until Britney returns home safely."
Russia announced on Tuesday that it had barred Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and others from entering the country in response to wide-ranging sanctions.
The list includes four senators: Republican Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, Susan Collins from Maine, Ben Sass from Nebraska and Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
"Release Britney Grenier," Sassi said in a statement.
“It doesn ’ t matter when Putin throws a tantrum and blocks Americans from entering Russia, but we have a problem when he captures an American. ”
Griner is one of the most titled basketball players in the world – a seven-time participant of the WNBA All-Star Game, a two-time Olympic champion and the first openly gay athlete to sign an advertising contract with Nike.
I went to Russia after a two-week break to play for UMMC-Yekaterinburg, the women ’ s professional basketball team.
Since then, news about Griner has been rare and has mostly been spread by Russian state media, according to the Associated Press.
But Cheryl Greiner told AP that the long-planned telephone conversation between the two had not taken place due to a logistical error at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
“I find this unacceptable and I don ’ t have confidence in our government right now, ” Cheryl Greiner told The Associated Press in late June.
“If I can ’ t trust you to call on a Saturday outside of office hours, how can I trust you to negotiate on behalf of my wife to come home? ”
How Russia and Ukraine became the heroines of the smear campaign.
In a radio interview Wednesday with Reverend Al Sharpton, who is also the founder of the National Action Network, Cheryl Greiner said she had not spoken to her wife since February but had received messages.
“She told me she was okay, ” Cheryl Grainer said of her wife ’ s letters.
She's like, "I'm fine, baby.
I'm tough.
I'm not me now.
When I get home, it'll take me a minute to recover, but I'm holding on.
I'm not gonna break until I get home.
I won't let them break me.
I know they ’ re trying, but I ’ ll do my best to keep going until I can get home. ”
Paris Hatcher was horrified to learn of the extension of Britney Grenier ’ s detention on Monday and to see a photo of Grenier circulated in Russian state media.
“She looks scared, ” said Hatcher, whose organization Black Feminist Future created the online campaign # BringBrittneyHome.
It's about dignity.
It is about human humanity.
She deserves to be in touch with her family. ”
St. Julian-Varnon said the rights of defendants in Russia are dramatically different from those of a person accused of committing a crime in the United States.
"You have no right to a jury trial," said St. Julian-Varnon.
Your lawyer has no right to call any witnesses they want.
The whole case against you and the case in your support is based on the evidence gathered by the state. ”
However, St. Julian-Varnon said she remained cautiously optimistic that Greiner could eventually be released either as a result of an exchange of prisoners or as a result of a conviction on a less serious charge and agreeing to a large fine.
“There are a lot of moving figures here, ” St. Julian-Varnon said.
“I want to be optimistic because it ’ s still her life.
It's Britney's life.
It's Cheryl's life. "

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further strained diplomacy, making her case a flashpoint in bilateral ties.

Title:

Content: - The Washington Times - Friday, July 1, 2022

As pressure mounts on President Biden to take more aggressive action to get Moscow to release jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, the international chatter increasing points to a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russian media and Bout’s lawyer, Steve Zissou, say Russian officials want to secure Bout’s release and that Griner, who has been locked up in Russia since February, could be part of a deal.

“I would be surprised if any American was repatriated without Viktor Bout also being sent home to his family,” Zissou told The Washington Times.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, delivering anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, charges his lawyer disputes.

Another detained American, former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in 2018, could also be part of a prisoner swap for Bout.

Mr. Zissou said the deal would likely have to include Bout. The lawyer met last month with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, who said that freeing Bout “was Russia’s number one priority,” according to Mr. Zissou.

Griner, meanwhile, made her first appearance in court on Friday and was accused of possessing “a significant amount of cannabis oil,” which is a banned substance in Russia. She faces likely conviction and a decade in prison when her trial resumes on July 7.

Griner, 31, was arrested at the airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was visiting the country to play for a Russian basketball team after the conclusion of the WNBA season.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Griner is being held as a political pawn, The Associated Press reported.

“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters on Friday. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated.”

Still, Russia’s desire to free Bout complicates matters for Mr. Biden, who is weathering intense criticism for failing to secure the release of Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Dozens of organizations, including women’s and LGBTQ groups, have pressed Mr. Biden to step up efforts to secure Griner’s release. They called on the president “to make a deal to get Brittney back home to America immediately and safely.”

While Bout’s lawyer disputes the charges against him, Bout was convicted of far more serious crimes than Griner’s drug charge, which could make it difficult for the Biden administration to agree to a swap.

Griner’s high-profile detainment comes at a historically difficult point in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The U.S. has condemned the invasion and responded by providing Ukraine with weapons and other support to defend itself from Mr. Putin’s forces.

With Griner in detention, Russian officials are now intensifying efforts to secure the release of Bout, whose targeting and conviction by the United States has long been viewed as an attack on Russian sovereignty.

Russian media is reporting that a swap for Bout is on the table.

“Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass news reported, citing an unnamed Russian source.

Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” Bout was convicted in 2011 in a U.S. government sting operation of planning to smuggle arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The witnesses hired to portray FARC told Bout the arms would be used to target U.S. military serving in Colombia.

Bout, 55, is about five years from completing his sentence and is in failing health, his lawyer said.

Mr. Zissou said he is trying to elevate the circumstances surrounding his client’s case to improve his appeal as a candidate for a prisoner swap.

The U.S. targeted Bout while he was living in Moscow and retired from running an air transport company that also smuggled arms from one country to another.

The U.S. government paid more than $10 million to criminals as part of the operation to catch Bout.

“Entrapment is exactly what happened,” Mr. Zissou said.

Mr. Zissou said exchanging Griner for Bout is “a no brainer,” because his client will be freed in a few years regardless.

Last week, Russian officials extended Griner’s pretrial detention by six months. With Russia’s acquittal rate in criminal cases at less than 1%, it’s unlikely she will be able to return to the U.S. without a prisoner exchange.

Pressure is also on Mr. Biden to also secure the release of Mr. Whelan, 52, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison camp.

“It’s certainly conceivable that a swap for Whelan and Bout gets agreed to, and then at the end of Griner’s trial, if she’s convicted, she just gets pardoned and sent home,” Mr. Zissou said.

In a statement provided to The Times, the State Department declined to provide details about the talks to free Griner.

“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” a State Department spokesman said. “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate support to Griner and her family. We will continue to press for her release.”

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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Her high profile drew sustained media attention and public pressure in the United States, alongside advocacy from sports leagues and activists. [40][12][63].

Title:

Content: Connect with us

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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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U.S. Embassy staff attended her court hearing in Moscow, even as the American diplomatic presence had been “decimated” in Russia, complicating support for citizens abroad. [2].

During pretrial detention, Griner’s custody was extended multiple times, and she spent 117 days without being allowed to make 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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Her trial resumed on July 7, 2022, and she later pleaded guilty, saying the cartridges were an honest mistake tied to a U.S. medical prescription. [3].

Title:

Content: Breaking

WNBA Star Brittney Griner Released From Russian Captivity in Prisoner Swap

Months after being sentenced to 9 years in prison, WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian detention and is "on her way home," President Joe Biden shared on Dec. 8.

By Jess Cohen, Emlyn Travis Dec 08, 2022 1:33 PMTags
Watch: Brittney Griner: Russia Ready to Discuss Prisoner Swap

After months of heartache, Brittney Griner is officially free.

The WNBA star has been released after 294 days in Russian captivity, a senior administration official announced on Dec. 8. Griner—who was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court and sentenced to 9 years in prison in August—was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was 11 years into a 25 year sentence.

Per the official, President Joe Biden signed off on the trade, which took place in the UAE. American businessman Paul Whelan was not included in the deal.

"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner," the president tweeted Dec. 8 alongside photos of Brittney's wife Cherelle Griner and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. "She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."

This news comes nearly a year after the Phoenix Mercury center, who plays for a Russian team during the off-season, was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for allegedly possessing vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage.

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Stars Arrested Fighting for a Cause

She was later charged with smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogues, and with illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture, processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues. During her trial on July 7, Brittney pled guilty to all of the charges but said that she did not act deliberately.

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"My parents taught me two important things," Brittney told the court through tears following closing arguments on Aug. 4. "Take ownership for your responsibilities and work hard for everything that you have. That's why I plead guilty to my charges. I understand the charges against me. I had no intent to break any Russian laws. I want the courts to understand it was an honest mistake."

She continued, "I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to break any Russian laws. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here."

Brittney had previously testified that she was legally prescribed medical marijuana by a doctor in the United States. She said she was going through airport security when a member of staff asked her to open her bag, which led to the discovery of the cartridges, per NBC News. After signing documents that she wasn't able to understand without Google Translate, the basketball player was able to call a lawyer before her phone was confiscated.

"At that point it felt like I was being held against my will," she said, according to the outlet. "I asked again what's going on and when can I see my lawyer. I was then told I have to be interrogated."

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Brittney's legal team later told E! News in a statement that they were "very disappointed" by the court's decision and planned to file an appeal.

"As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality," they shared. "The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea. This contradicts the existing legal practice. Taking into account the amount of the substance (not to mention the defects of the expertise) and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable. We will certainly file an appeal."

Biden also shared his disappointment. "Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney," he said in a statement. "It's unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates."

The president kept in touch with Brittney and wrote her a letter shortly after the athlete sent an open letter to the White House, which arrived on July 4.

During a July 28 press conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared that the administration had "put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate" the release of Brittney and Whelan, per NBC News. "Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, move us toward a resolution."

Throughout her time in prison, Brittney has received steadfast support from her wife Cherelle as well as fellow athletes including Stephen Curry, Megan Rapinoe and more.

"I have to walk the fine line of harm versus help when it comes to my wife right now," Cherelle told CBS Mornings on July 5. "So, as much as I want to advocate for her and push for our governments to do everything, I also have to take into account that she's in a position where she could be harmed also, by any and everything I do, and so, it's a thin line to walk."

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In August 2022, a Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison and a fine, underscoring the severity of Russia’s drug penalties. [9].

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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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She was sent to a penal colony in Mordovia, where conditions are known to be poor, with few toilets and no hot water.

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Content: Diplomat Sparks Renewed Hope For Brittney Griner Prisoner Exchange

The situation surrounding Brittney Griner's case is looking a little less bleak, thanks to the recent developments brought about by negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.

In early November, the WNBA star had been transferred to a penal colony in the Russian republic of Mordovia. There, she began fulfilling her nine-year sentence for drug possession. As reported by Reuters, authorities initially arrested Griner in February 2022 after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. While she attempted to appeal the ruling, it was ultimately upheld by a Russian court.

"This has been [a] very traumatic experience, waiting for this day, waiting for the first court, and getting nine years for a crime that I was barely over the significant amount," she said at the hearing (via CBS News). "I don't understand the first court's decision to give one year less than the max when I've been here almost 8 months, and people with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given... I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence, because it's been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and psyche, being away from my family and not being able to communicate." However, there is now renewed hope that Griner could be released, with a Russian diplomat claiming that a swap could happen sometime in the future.

Russian diplomat says there's 'always a chance' for a swap

Not all hope is lost, after all. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia is not turning its back on the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. As reported by the New York Post, Ryabkov told reporters that there is "always a chance" when asked about the likelihood of a swap taking place before the end of the year. However, he noted that in the past, there had been multiple instances when it seemed as if Russia would agree to a swap, only for the plan to fall apart. If the prisoner swap does take place, Ryabkov said it would "send a positive signal that not everything is hopeless in Russian-American relations."

In the meantime, it looks like Brittney Griner has her work cut out for her. Maria Alyokhina, a former member of the band Pussy Riot, didn't mince words when she spoke to NPR about her own experience at a Russian penal colony. "It has a bit better conditions than [the] original gulag system from the 1950s," she said, but added that it's still "a labor camp." She described the grim reality she endured while serving out her own sentence, calling it inhumane. "For 100 women, there are like three toilets and no hot water," she recalled, adding that the penal colony is merely a "legal slavery system."

According to a statement released by her lawyers (via BBC), she is trying her best to survive and is "doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment."

Russian penal colonies have been criticized for hard physical labor, overcrowding, inadequate food, limited medical care, and restricted communication, challenges compounded for Americans facing language barriers.

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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. ”

Griner’s time in custody was marked by trauma, stress, and difficulties including language struggles and maintaining exercise, according to accounts from her camp. [9].

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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In May 2022, U.S. officials determined she was “wrongfully” or “unjustly” detained and shifted her case to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. [12][13].

Title:

Content: State Department officials meet with WNBA Greener team over detention in Russia
State Department officials met with WNBA members Britney Greiner on Monday about the months-long detention of a Phoenix Mercury star in Russia and the Biden administration ’ s efforts to free her.
The State Department confirmed the meeting, which was attended by representatives of his specialized office, advocating for hostages and unjustly holding Americans.
"It takes a lot to get her home safe and sound, they work tirelessly," Mercury star Diana Taurazi said after the meeting in a statement released by Mercury.
“We ’ re here to do everything we can to strengthen BG and keep it ahead, which is more important than any basketball game and everything else that happens in our lives.
We want BG to come home as soon as possible, he ’ s number one on our list. ”
The administration has previously said it is working to bring Greiner and another Michigan corporate security director, Paul Whelan, home from Russia.
“The State Department ’ s knowledge at the highest level, from US President Joe Biden to the team working to bring back all unjustly detained Americans, gives us great confidence that they are working on it, ” said Turassi.
Grenier was detained on February 17 at an airport in Russia after local authorities said that during an inspection of her bag, vape cartridges containing a derivative of cannabis were found.
In May, the State Department reclassified Greiner as unjustly detained and transferred oversight of her case to the State Department ’ s Presidential Commissioner for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA.
“It is the 116th day since B.G. was unjustly arrested.
It was nice to hear from the State Department that we should continue to spread this message and that we should continue to put pressure on everyone who has any influence or power to help bring B.G. home, ” said coach Vanessa Mercury Nygaard.
The head of the Polish Draughts Federation apologized for the incident with the raising of the Russian flag - sport
After meeting with the State Department, Mercury players and staff met with Congressman Greg Stanton of Arizona and Congressman Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, Grener ’ s hometown.
“For Mercury ’ s team, coaches and CEOs, every day without Britney is a lifetime, ” Stanton said.
Teammates and league players are pushing President Biden on social media to help her get home.
WNBA players were also able to send emails and messages to Griner through an account created by her agent.
The emails are periodically printed and delivered to Greener by her lawyer after being verified by Russian officials.
As soon as the lawyers return to their offices, they will scan any responses from Greener and send them to the United States to send to the players.

The administration formed a task force and made multiple offers to Moscow, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing a “substantial proposal” for her release. [13].

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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.”

President Joe Biden engaged personally, responding to Griner’s letter, calling her wife, and directing his team to remain in close contact with her family.

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Content: The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

American basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February. She has been facing drug possession charges for carrying vape cartridges in her luggage that contained cannabis oil. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years in jail.

Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges in Russian court Thursday, while stressing that she had packed in a hurry and not intended to break Russian law. Regardless of Thursday’s plea, observers have not expected Griner to receive justice in the Russian legal system.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has accurately called her a “political pawn” caught up in the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Russia amid the latter’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. There should be little doubt that Griner’s detention is bigger than vape cartridges.

With frustrations increasingly being voiced by Griner’s family that President Joe Biden and his administration haven’t been doing enough to help her, Griner sent a letter to Biden on Monday asking for assistance for herself and other American detainees. For example, Paul Whelan, who also previously served in the Marines, was accused of being a spy and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote in her July 4 letter to Biden.

Marine veteran Trevor Reed knows a thing or two about what Griner and Whelan are going through. Reed was detained in Russia for three years before being released in April as part of a prisoner exchange.

“There is no justice in Russia,” Reed told CNN in June. “Brittney and Paul will not receive justice in Russia. They’re not going to receive a fair trial, they will not receive a fair investigation. They will be there as hostages until the United States gets them out.”

He added that Griner was likely to be treated worse in Russia because of her race and sexual orientation, saying that the country “systematically discriminates” against Black and LGBTQ+ people.

There is only so much the Biden administration can do with Griner in the custody of an authoritarian government known for making examples out of political prisoners, and likely looking for a bargaining chip as it continues its barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Though as demonstrated by Reed’s release, there are options. It must not take three years.

At the very least, for now, Biden and his team can control how they communicate and reassure Griner’s family. And on that front, it seems the administration had been coming up short.

Griner’s family and friends had criticized the Biden administration’s handling of her case, and called for the president to meet with them. On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris finally had a phone call with Cherelle Griner.

“The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement after the call. “He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney today.”

That statement also noted that top administration officials have already had calls with Cherelle Griner in recent weeks, and said Biden has directed his national security team to stay in “regular contact” with the Griner family. A U.S. diplomat said they delivered Biden’s letter to Griner at Thursday’s proceedings.

Biden’s call with Griner’s wife was an initial step, and the ultimate goal must be a quick release for Griner and other political prisoners. There is much work left for the administration to do, including a continual commitment to assure Griner’s family that the U.S. is exploring all possible options to secure her release. And hopefully the attention will elevate the pressure to help return other Americans like Whelan as well.

“Write them, call them, annoy them, don’t leave them alone,” Reed said in June about pressuring federal representatives to act. “Tell them you want Brittney home and you want the rest of the Americans who are being wrongfully detained home, and you want it done now.”

Add us to the list of people looking to raise the pressure on the Biden administration to bring home wrongfully detained Americans like Griner, who are essentially hostages, and to bring them home quickly.

The BDN Editorial Board

The Bangor Daily News editorial board members are Publisher Richard J. Warren, Editorial Page Editor Susan Young, Assistant Editorial Page Editor Matt Junker and BDN President Todd Benoit. Young has worked...

Negotiations centered on a prisoner swap that included offering Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, while Russia at points pressed for the additional release of Vadim Krasikov.

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Content: Categories
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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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In December 2022, the United States and Russia finalized a one-for-one exchange of Griner for Bout, with the United Arab Emirates facilitating the transfer. [20][15].

Title:

Content: The United States has made a "serious proposal" to Russia on the release of female basketball star and former Marine
Font Size:
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday (November 28) that a senior US diplomat revealed that the United States and Russia are consulting through special channels on the conditions for the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
The report also quoted Rudd, the charge d ’ affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Russia, as saying that the United States had submitted a serious proposal to Russia, but had not yet received a “serious response ” from Russia.
Greiner faces nine years in prison in Russia on drug charges, and the two countries have negotiated her release in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer currently serving a prison sentence in the United States.
Due to the continuing tension between Russia and the United States, no agreement has been reached between the two sides.
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The swap did not include Paul Whelan, another American detained in Russia, highlighting limits and complexities in such negotiations.

Griner’s release was widely viewed as a significant diplomatic achievement and a victory for the Biden administration under intense public scrutiny. [4].

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Content: After President Biden ’ s rescue and the United Arab Emirates brokered a prisoner swap agreement between the United States and Russia, Brittney Griner, America ’ s top female basketball player in a Russian prison, was finally released back to the United States, and Biden paid the price for the Russian “Death Dealer ” Porter, who was imprisoned in the United States for 25 years. Viktor Bout is released, although it is not proportional principle, but the United States and Russia are somehow written off!
“Prisoner exchange ” is actually an act of contempt for the law. It is an ugly game imposed by politicians in order to achieve their goals. They treat prisoners as a commodity, a bargaining chip, so it is a violation of the law. But because“ prisoner exchange ” is humane, it is acceptable. The Chinese government had reached an agreement with the Canadian government that the exchange of two Canadian prisoners held in China by Huawei's female son Meng Wanzhou was a clear example of a "prisoner exchange".
Greener was arrested in February this year at Moscow International Airport after being found to contain cannabis oil e-cigarettes. She was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court on August 4 after being detained for half a year. Olympic basketball gold medal national treasure, but unfortunately, because it coincides with the Russian-Ukrainian war, US-Russian relations are tense, so Grenada has become a scapegoat for the war.
President Biden has spent the past few months trying to save Greiner, but he has returned to Russia through former New Mexico Governor Richard Nixon, who has served as a congressman, energy secretary and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He has had good relations with Russia and has been instrumental in facilitating the release of prisoners and mediating international conflicts. A few years ago, he helped bring back former U.S. Marine Leder, who had been detained in Russia for more than two years, but this time it was impossible to save Grener, so President Biden had to send Secretary of State Abraham Lincoln to present a prisoner exchange plan to the Russian Foreign Minister in exchange for Grener and another American prisoner accused of spying in Russia, Paul Whelan.
However, this "2 for 1" model was flatly rejected by Putin, until recently, with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates to coordinate and finally reach a "1 for 1" agreement, and a simple case of carrying drugs instead of selling drugs was jailed for more than 10 months, it is ridiculous that Greiner has finally been released from prison and returned to the United States. With the arms of her family, this 6-foot-9-inch basketball champion will soon be able to play on the court again, of course, after this painful catastrophe, I believe that after the NBA season, she will never dare, nor will she go to the UMMC Ekaterinburg team in the Russian League to make extra money!
(The author is the chief writer of South American Media Group)
※ The above statements do not represent the position of Wangzhong Media Group ※
# USA # Russia # Lena # Changed Prisoner # Detained

After 10 months in custody—294 days—Griner returned to the United States and entered reintegration care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for medical treatment and mental health evaluations. [20][24].

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Content: ‘She brings light’: Brittney Griner’s triumphant return to the WNBA

Prior to being detained in a Russian prison for 294 days, Brittney Griner was on top of the world.

The 32-year-old was coming off one of the best WNBA seasons of her career. She was the Most Valuable Player runner-up, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Phoenix Mercury, who she led back to the WNBA finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014. Meanwhile, Griner was on her way to play for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, who she had led to four EuroLeague titles since she started spending her WNBA off-seasons there in 2014.

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At the time of her arrest Griner was, according to the testimony of her Russian teammate Evgenia Belyakova, “the most beloved player in Russia.”

To become such a popular figure in both America and Russia is no easy task for a gay, Black woman. But Griner’s ascent was never easy. She was bullied relentlessly growing up, first for her size and later for her sexuality, becoming one of the first active athletes in professional North American sports to come out as gay, shortly after being drafted No 1 overall by the Mercury in 2013.

In her first game as a pro, the 6ft 9in Griner towered over her opponents, changing the perceptions of what a female basketball player was capable of when she set a WNBA record with two dunks in a game. Griner went on to win a WNBA title, two Olympic gold medals, and seven WNBA All-Star appearances, on pace to achieve a level of greatness few ever have in the women’s game, and being marketed accordingly.

In fact, Griner was the first openly gay athlete to be endorsed by Nike. And the WNBA used her at the center of its marketing, acknowledging that gay athletes and LGBTQ+ activists like Griner were good for business.

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So when it all came crashing down at a Moscow airport on 17 February 2022, when Griner was found with vape cartridges containing traces of hashish oil in her luggage, not only did her career come to a screeching halt, but the league that she had been bound to since 2013 lost some of its forward momentum, too. She was later sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

As much as Griner tried to stay positive, and as much as the WNBA community tried to help, a cloud hung over the entire 2022 season – one that would not dissipate until Griner was released and returned to America.

“Last year, it felt as though we couldn’t play with joy … It felt bad for us to be happy or to celebrate things because the weight of BG’s wrongful detainment weighed over us,” says former Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

When the US negotiated a prisoner swap to secure Griner’s freedom last December, she almost immediately announced her intention to return to the WNBA in 2023, signing a one-year deal with the Mercury. But nobody knew what to expect from Griner, who had spent almost a year under arduous physical and mental conditions.

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But, against all odds, Griner appears to be back to her normal self, on and off the court.

Related: WNBA power lies with two superteams. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing

In her first WNBA game in 579 days, Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. In her first home game a couple of days later, she hit just the seventh three-pointer of her career, yelling “I’m back!” to the crowd of 14,000 cheering fans.

“I appreciate everything a little more,” Griner said about being back in the league. “All the little, small moments that I used to just [think]: ‘Oh, I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to practice today. And, oh, this and that.’ That has changed, honestly. Just appreciating everything because tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”

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Griner is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks on a career-high 61.8% shooting through her first nine games of the 2023 season. She is back to being the Mercury’s best player, dominating in the post over swarms of defenders and blocking everything that comes her way on the other end of the floor. After being an honorary All-Star selection last season, Griner was named an All-Star starter on Sunday.

But what may be even more impressive is the enthusiasm and spirit she has brought to the Mercury and the WNBA, constantly flashing her trademark smile, joking around at press conferences, and uplifting her teammates at every opportunity.

“We were all hoping that she was going to be OK coming back, and that she did not lose her light, and she really didn’t,” says Mercury forward Megan Gustafson, adding that Griner’s presence has transformed the locker room. “I think we were a little bit surprised, because anyone that goes through an experience like that – I mean, I couldn’t even imagine being the same person. But she really is and I’m just so proud of her and just the light that she brings again … It’s really just her light, her positivity that [has] shone through.”

Sandy Brondello, who coached Griner in Phoenix for eight seasons prior to moving on to New York, is also glowing about the player’s return to the WNBA. “It’s like sometimes we sweat having a bad game – she was in prison,” says Brondello. “She had to live in prison for such a long time. So I think she has that joy. Just go out there and play.”

Griner has brought a lot of attention to the WNBA, which was already growing rapidly. Not only is the league averaging almost 1,000 more fans a game in Griner’s return season, but its broadcasts have also hit record viewership numbers – up 49% from last season across ESPN networks.

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“I think that if you look at last season, there was something and someone missing in the WNBA and that was obviously Brittney Griner,” former WNBA MVP and Griner’s one-time UMMC Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart says. “So the ability to have her back here kind of makes our circle complete, because she is such a force and a presence on and off the court and her ability to kind of be so dominant and aggressive but also such a kind, caring person – everybody’s missed that.”

Griner’s on-court play cannot be separated from her political advocacy off it, especially in a league as socially active as the WNBA. And Griner’s imprisonment has forced the WNBA to reckon with its lackluster treatment of athletes in the past, forcing the league to improve pay and travel standards so that the Griner situation does not repeat itself.

After all, the primary reason that Griner was in Russia in the first place is because her salary at UMMC Ekaterinburg is over $1m compared to the $165,100 she will make this year in the WNBA. In fact, 67 of the league’s 144 players still played internationally last off-season despite Griner’s detainment. Doing so is a financial necessity rather than a choice for most of the world’s best female basketball players.

The incident also highlighted concerns about commercial travel for WNBA players, many of whom are gay, Black women who can be targets of abuse. In fact, Griner has already been harassed this season when a conservative media personality confronted her and her teammates inside a Dallas airport in mid-June.

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In the past, the league has argued that charter flights create an unfair competitive advantage for teams that can afford to pay for them, fining the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights last season. But the WNBA has already made improvements this season, allowing private flights for back-to-back games and for all playoff games. And after the news of Griner’s harassment and the pressure that came from it, the league recently announced that teams are permitted to fly on a public chartering service called JSX for the rest of the season.

It’s a step in the right direction that may not have been possible if not for Griner – a singular force who is as easy to galvanize around because of her on-court performances as she is for her personality. The league still has a long way to go in regards to growing the game and improving standards for its athletes, but Griner’s return has undoubtedly expedited the process.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom. Because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change, you don’t know what that something’s gonna be,” Griner said. “We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s wait and see game,’ you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this. It’s just a shame that it took so damn long.”

Her family publicly thanked President Biden and the administration for securing her freedom.

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Content: “How good at home ”: Brittney Greiner returned from Russia
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Madeleine Grishina
Madeleine Grishina Reiter editorial office of the Fifth Channel website
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Basketball player Greiner thanked Biden for protection and expressed intention to return to the sport
Photo: © RIA Novosti / RIA Novosti
Read us in: Zen News
Five days after the exchange, the basketball player announced her intention to return to Russia.
Now her life is returning to its usual course, she is well at home.
Convicted in Russia for drug smuggling basketball player Brittney Greiner gave the first comment after returning to the United States.
In the social network, she noted how well she is still at home and thanked the Russian lawyers for their work.
“It ’ s so good to be home!
The last 10 months have been battles at every turn.
I dug deep to preserve my faith, and it was the love of many of you that helped me move forward.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help, ” Greiner said.
She also expressed “special thanks for protecting ” U.S. President Joe Biden and State Department Secretary Anthony Blinken, as well as the entire White House administration.
She plans to return to the sport soon.
By the way, the basketball player was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout on December 8 under an agreement between Moscow and Washington.
In the United States, he was found guilty of trafficking in weapons and supporting terrorists, local media presented the Russian “seller of death ”,“ the most dangerous Russian ” and provided him with the glory of the arms baron.
Greiner was detained at the Moscow airport in February with banned substances.
She was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
The exchange of a “dealer of death ” for an athlete caught with drugs was considered unequal by many in the United States.
While the contract was being executed, the American ex-diplomat Mark Vogel, who was convicted under the same article as his compatriot, was perplexed in a Russian prison.
Earlier, 5-tv.ru told how Viktor Bout feels.
Latest news
5: 25.
5: 17.
4: 51
4: 25
4: 20.
4: 00.
They are reading now.

Soon after returning, she began light basketball workouts and dunked, using the sport as part of her recovery.

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Content: Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Makes First Social Media Post Since WNBA Star’s Return

by Jonathan Howard

Brittney Griner is home and her wife Cherelle is relieved to have her back. She had a lot of people to thank as she broke her silence online. On Monday, Cherelle made her first social media post since Griner returned to the United States. This is an emotional time for the family.

As Brittney Griner has settled back into her life here in the states, Cherelle was thanking all of the people that helped make it possible. Griner was held in Russia for months for possessing vape pen cartridges. When an agreement on her release was made, she had been living at a Russian penal colony.

On Instagram, Cherelle was thankful for a lot of folks.

“Yesterday my heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of MANY!” she wrote. “I’m humbled by their hearts. To care for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some – is humanity in its purest form! As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits – I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!”

In her post, she thanked the Biden Administration as well as various members of congress. While thanking all those involved, Cherelle also thanked Paul Whelan’s family.

“I appreciate each and every one of you – Let’s continue to use our hands, voices, platforms, and resources to bring Paul and all Americans home. All families deserve to be whole!” the post ended.

Brittney Griner Returns to Basketball Workouts

While Brittney Griner is a lot of things, she is a basketball player. So, she’s already back to practicing and the WNBA forward has still got it. During her detainment and imprisonment in Russia, Griner was offered the chance to practice playing basketball. However, given her situation, it didn’t feel right.

ESPN reported that Griner had a light workout and was able to dunk a basketball. She has not made a decision on when or if she will return to basketball as a professional. After the 10 months that she has been through, it is no surprise that she is taking time to make this decision.

The entire basketball world is behind Brittney Griner. She has had a lot of support from the NBA and WNBA. When it comes time to make that decision, she will make it. Until then, it’s just about getting back to her normal life.

Outsider.com

She later signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury, debuted on May 19, 2023, and was named a WNBA All-Star starter. [27].

In her first nine games she averaged 19.1 points and 6.4 rebounds, and her first game nearly doubled typical attendance, reflecting widespread interest in her return. [28].

Title:

Content: Commentary

Coach Baffled by Crowd Size for Brittney Griner's WNBA Return Game

Even if you’re a pretty big sports fan, you probably had no idea that the WNBA season tipped off on Friday.

And why would you? The league is as irrelevant as it’s ever been.

(In fact, it’s inarguable that women’s college basketball carries much more cultural heft than the WNBA currently, though not always for the best reasons.)

That being said, even if you couldn’t name a single WNBA franchise, you can actually probably name at least one WNBA star — Brittney Griner.

If that name is ringing any bells at all for you, it’s because you were keeping up with the sordid story of her detainment and arrest in Russia, when she was busted at a Russian airport for carrying hash oil.

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After being kept in, effectively, the gulags for 10 months, President Joe Biden and his administration were able to secure her safe return to the United States, albeit at a controversially steep cost.

Now safely back stateside and ready for things to return to normal, Griner was able to resume her typical duties as the Phoenix Mercury’s center on Friday.

While the Mercury were obliterated by the Los Angeles Sparks to the tune of a 94-71 loss, Griner notched a respectable 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks in the loss.

Frankly, there wasn’t much to be terribly critical about (aside from the game result) in regards to Griner’s grand return.

Would you ever attend one of Griner’s games?

In fact, according to ESPN, Griner even got a standing ovation and “welcome back” chants despite technically being a road player at the Los Angeles-based Cypto.com Arena.

That reception was apparently not enough for Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard, who was left scratching her head about the crowd size.

“It was great, but like honestly, come on L.A.,” Nygaard said after the game. “Like, we didn’t sell out the arena for [Griner]? Like I expected more. You know?

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“Let’s be honest.”

Okay then. Let’s.

According to the statistic database Statista, based on the WNBA’s average regular season attendance last season, the Sparks typically drew a crowd of about 5,600.

According to ESPN, 10,396 fans were at Crypto.com Arena, almost doubling the team’s average attendance from a season ago. Oh, and Vice President Kamala Harris was there too, for some reason.

Point being, Nygaard is either just factually wrong here, or she seems to have a wildly outsized opinion on the WNBA’s popularity.

“Like, it was great, it was loud,” Nygaard continued, before she became visibly baffled. “But, um… How is… How is it not a sellout? How is it not a sellout?”

It wasn’t a sellout because WNBA games seldom sell out. No amount of confused hand-wringing will change that fact.

But also, and this can’t be stressed enough: Brittney Griner is not some rock star of a saint.

What Griner went through in Russia was unjust. But it was also a fiasco of her own doing. No, people shouldn’t go to intensive labor camps for 10 months for carrying a small amount of recreational drugs on them. But unjust rules are still rules, and Griner broke another country’s.

It’s okay to both be happy that Griner is safely back with her family and appalled that America had to give up a notorious Russian arms dealer to do it. Nygaard can’t expect this to be some slam dunk cultural win. It’s polarizing, at best.

It is worth noting that for as obnoxiously clueless as the WNBA and its staff are, Griner has, for now, followed through on her word of having a newfound appreciation for the national anthem.

In the midst of the George Floyd hysteria, Griner derided the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” as some misguided form of social protest. Since returning from Russia, however, her tune has changed.

ESPN reported that Griner did, in fact, stand at attention for the playing of the national anthem before the game.

That act alone is hardly worth more people showing up to WNBA games. Respecting the national anthem is a bare minimum.

But if Griner and other WNBA stars actually do start embracing patriotism over leftism?

It probably won’t make a difference attendance-wise, but at least it would make the games more tolerable.

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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
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Hawaii
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Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
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Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech

Conversation

League interest surged, with WNBA viewership reported up 49 percent since her return.

Griner has said she will not play overseas again, a decision shaped by her ordeal and a broader conversation about why many WNBA players go abroad for higher pay. [26].

She has become an advocate for wrongful detainees, urging those still held to stay strong and using her platform to highlight their cases. [29].

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner Asks Fans, Advocates to Write Letters to Paul Whelan: 'It's Our Turn to Support'

The WNBA star shared Whelan's mailing address and said, "I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families"

Brittney Griner has a request for her supporters this holiday season.

The WNBA star, who was released from Russian custody on Dec. 8, penned a handwritten letter to her Instagram followers on Wednesday morning, asking those who helped advocate for her safe return to do the same for Paul Whelan and other families of wrongfully detained loved ones.

"Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months," Griner wrote. "You took time to show me you cared, and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered."

Griner said the letters she received from fans and friends, through the #WeAreBG campaign, helped her "to not lose hope during a time" filled with "regret."

She described her feeling "vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined," in the letter.

The Phoenix Mercury center thanked those who wrote to her "from the bottom of my heart" and said that it was because of those communications of support that she "never lost hope" over the course of her detainment.

The letters were "bigger than uplifting" for the WNBA star, though. Griner explained that the thousands of messages she received showed her "the power of collective hands" and now, she hopes to help Whelan, the former U.S. marine who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years on espionage charges, and other detained Americans, come home.

"Together, we can do hard things," Griner wrote. "I'm living proof of that."

"My family is whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together," she wrote. "However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained."

Griner explained, "Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the #WeAreBG campaign to bring me home, and it's our turn to support them. I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families."

Griner ended her letter by thanking fans once more, adding, "I hope your holiday season is full of joy and love."

She included Whelan's mailing address at the bottom of her note. He is currently receiving mail through the American Citizen Services Unit Consular, per the address.

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Griner's intention to help Whelan and other Americans was first confirmed by her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, in an ESPN interview after her release. Colas said both Griner and her wife, Cherelle, plan to "raise attention" for other families with loved ones detained abroad.

When Cherelle spoke from the White House following the announcement of Brittney's return, she said, "Today my family is whole, but as you are all aware, there are so many families who are not whole."

She added that she will continue advocating for "getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today."

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Griner is also working on a memoir about her detention, scheduled for release in spring 2024.

Title:

Content: Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
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Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

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.

Her story underscores the intersection of sports, gender, and politics, with particular concerns because she is a Black LGBTQ woman in a country with anti-gay sentiments and laws. [36].

Title:

Content: Houston’s mayor on Brittney Griner’s return

With help from Jesse Naranjo, Ella Creamer, Jesús Rodríguez and Teresa Wiltz

What up, Recast family! WNBA star Brittney Griner is home on U.S. soil, Congress passes the Respect For Marriage Act and surprise! Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announces she’s leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent. First, though, a chat with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is now safely back in the United States, relieving the collective anxiety of millions of Americans, including the longtime Democratic mayor of Houston.

Sylvester Turner marked the end of Griner’s 10-month detainment in Russia by ordering City Hall illuminated in red, white and blue to mark what he called “United States proud” of what the president and the nation were able to accomplish.

Griner, a Houston native who stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall and is a standout with the Phoenix Mercury and the women’s professional basketball club UMMC Ekaterinburg, was released in a controversial prisoner swap on Thursday.

The Biden administration says it had no choice and that it was a one-or-none deal.

In exchange for her release, President Joe Biden granted clemency for Viktor Bout, whose nickname is the “Merchant of Death.”

Some, including many Republicans, felt the Biden administration gave up too much, arguing the exchange of a pro ball player for a convicted Russian arms dealer was not an even trade, especially if the trade didn’t include Paul Whelan, a former Marine who has been held captive in Russia on allegations of espionage since 2018.

Turner, however, would rather focus on the positives, arguing that the Griner ordeal brought many Americans together for a common goal: bringing her home safely.

We talk about this, plus how history will be made next week when Mayor-elect Karen Bass is sworn into office in Los Angeles. Her ascension marks the first time the nation’s four largest cities, New York, L.A., Chicago and Houston, will all have Black mayors serving simultaneously.

◆◆◆

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

THE RECAST: As mayor you’ve helped lead city officials in keeping Brittney Griner’s plight front of mind for your city. Why was this important for you?

TURNER: She is from the Houston region and played at Baylor [in Waco, Texas, about a three hour commute northwest of Houston]. And I mean, she is a super star in this area.

I do want to give a lot of credit to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) because, I tell you, she was front and center helping to keep Brittney Griner’s name alive and didn’t want anybody to forget. I want to give a lot of credit to President Biden and his whole team.

THE RECAST: I feel like a lot of folks who maybe don't pay too close attention to geopolitics were certainly engaged with this story because of who she is. Not just her celebrity as a basketball star, but because she’s a Black woman, a Black LGBTQ woman. Do you think Griner’s ordeal helped more people of color get familiar, or those who don’t follow global events as closely, to gain a better understanding of international affairs?

Every week, we sit down with diverse and influential characters who are shaking up politics.

Who should we profile next? Let us know. Email us at [email protected].

TURNER: No. 1, she is one of our own from the Houston area. No. 2, she is a Black woman. In this case she’s a member of the LGBTQ community; she has a wife here in the United States.

When you consider all of those dynamics, she represents the diversity of America, and certainly represents the diversity of this city on multiple levels.

Whether it was women, African Americans, people from the LGBT community, people from the sports arena, who are all lifting her up — in this time of global conflict between Russia and Ukraine — that heightened the importance of this moment and wanting to see her released. So when you have all of these dynamics coming together and on one accord, the voices are even louder.

What we did see is that as people were asking for the release of Brittney Griner, people were also asking for the release of Paul Whelan. It’s my hope and prayer that the attention that has been given to her will continue on Paul Whelan.

THE RECAST: Switching gears here. We’re on the precipice of history, having Black mayors lead the nation’s four largest cities. Put this moment in perspective.

TURNER: It is historic on one hand, it’s inspirational on the other. It does reflect just how far this country has come.

[These are] four cities that are really leading the growth of the GDP of this country in terms of being economic drivers — major cities where major things are happening on multiple fronts, and cities that are global in nature. These are cities that attract people from all over the world, businesses from all over the world, development from all over the world, and investments.

And I don't want to minimize all the other African American mayors, because when you look from D.C. to Seattle, from Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, ... all over the map, African Americans are leading major cities and I think when you view us collectively, it is more than a third of the GDP of the United States.

THE RECAST: That’s an interesting point. The history-making element here is not the fact that you are all Black, because none of the big four is the first Black mayor to serve their respective city. It's the fact that you are all serving simultaneously.

I've noticed, too, that all four are leading cities where Latinos are or are close to being the largest minority populations.

TURNER: At first glance, people may say, “OK, these cities must be majority Black, or close to being majority Black.” That is not the case. New York, Chicago, L.A., Houston are highly diverse. We say Houston is the most diverse city in the United States.

About 25 percent of the people in the city come from outside of the United States, 40 percent of the city is Hispanic. We have a growing Asian population. … So you can’t just say, “OK, I'm going to ride the African American vote, and that's gonna get me to victory.” No, we live in pluralistic societies, and in order to be successful you are going to have to build coalitions.

THE RECAST: How do you walk that fine line, though, making sure your policies cater to everyone, but also that you are showing deliverables for Black constituents that supported your candidacy? As you know, sometimes elected officials who are Black find themselves being questioned by Black constituents, sort of like, “What have you done for us?”

TURNER: You are exactly correct.

As the former chair of the African American Mayors Association, I will tell you, we had these conversations all the time. African Americans who have been in their communities that have been overlooked, whether it's been a lack of investment for decades, they want to see things happen very quickly.

They don't give African Americans, you know, a long runway.

Because they place their trust in us. And they believe, “Mayor, you ought to be sensitive, you ought to recognize the fact that we've been overlooked, underserved … so fix it now.”

Now, having said that, there are certain things that run across ethnic and socioeconomic lines.

So the Complete Communities initiative was intended to focus on highly diverse neighborhoods, where resources hadn't flown. So you're meeting the needs of African Americans in a direct way, but you're also meeting the needs of Hispanics and Asians and immigrants and refugees in similar situations, for example, in the southwest part of the city of Houston, what we call the Gulfton area. That’s where there are more than 70 languages being spoken. So you can, in a very intentional way, meet the needs of African Americans without overlooking the needs of others in your city.

THE RECAST: So you're talking about being deliberate in your actions.

TURNER: Well, you have to, because, rightfully or wrongfully, some people — not all — are going to come in thinking: “OK, you just got to be the mayor of Black folk.”

And I tell people, “Life is not fair. OK?” But you have to learn, as my mom would say, to navigate through it. We do have to be intentional. At the same time, it doesn't mean that you run away from Black folk.

As African American mayors, we have to navigate many waters. What I would say to all of the mayors [who are less tenured than me] Karen Bass, Eric Adams, Lori Lightfoot … we’re under more scrutiny, from all different arenas. We have to perform every day. We have to be at our best every day. We have to be very intentional in our representation every day. And that's not fair, OK. But those are the realities.

THE RECAST: You revealed last month your cancer diagnosis but that you are cancer free. Talk to me about why you announced the way you did.

TURNER: My State of the City address was on Nov. 3 and I didn't intend to discuss it, to be honest with you.

But we were talking about resilience. And the city has faced several federally declared disasters over the years. And I was making the point that we bounce back each and every time. And then something hit me and I said to myself, “Sylvester, part of resilience is what you’ve gone through.”

So that's when I decided to talk about it.

[When I got the diagnosis of osteosarcoma], I had to say to myself, “Alright joker, why not you? You may be the mayor, but you’re not immune. You’ve walked other people through storms, now you gotta walk yourself through.”

◆◆◆

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The case shows how prominent athletes can become leverage in geopolitical disputes even as governments deny political motives. [2][5].

It also prompted broader U.S. policy conversations about wrongful detention, sanctions, and tools to deter hostage-taking while prioritizing reunification of detained Americans. [61].

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Former Olympic coach pushes for Brittney Griner's safe return as Russian trial begins

Posted at 5:55 AM, Jul 01, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-01 09:08:18-04

As Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner’s trial begins in Russia, many are working to keep her story top of mind here in the United States.

ABC15 spoke to Griner’s former Olympic coach, Dawn Staley, who’s taken to social media almost daily to try to keep Griner’s case at the forefront.

Staley’s posts are similar: a photo of her shirt she’s wearing that day with a pin that reads, “We Are BG,” along with a caption numbering the days Griner has been in detainment.

“She’s a good person. She has a great heart. She is, you know, someone that looks out for the voiceless. She supplies sneakers to the homeless, to the needy, and I don’t think we’re hearing enough about that,” Staley said. “I don’t think we’re hearing enough about what’s been happening to get her released.”

Staley is currently the head women’s basketball coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks, but also helped coach Griner through two gold medals for Team USA.

Staley said she considers Griner and her wife, Cherelle, to be friends of hers. She’s known Griner for about a decade.

“I want Brittney home. I just feel for her family. I feel for her. I feel for our women’s basketball community. I feel for her friends,” Staley said.

If convicted, the star center could face up to a decade in a Russian prison. She’d then need the United States government to make a prisoner exchange with Russia involving her.

Coach Staley said she hopes people here in America keep the pressure and the attention on BG’s case to bring her home, and every American prisoner being wrongfully detained home as well.

“They all need to get home to their families,” Staley said. “I just hope that people can find it in their hearts to put good energy into bringing Brittney home.”

Staley encouraged people to call their representatives in Congress, call the White House, and go support the Mercury by going to their games and holding up signs in support of Griner to keep the spotlight on her case.

It’s notable to say that 99 percent of cases in Russia are convictions.

Last weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN he would not comment in detail on what they’re doing as far as Griner’s situation and other American prisoners wrongfully detained, other than that it is a top priority for the Biden administration.

For Griner, the physical and psychological toll of incarceration was significant, and ongoing support from family, medical teams, and the basketball community has been central to her adjustment back home. [9][24][26].

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Wife Of Brittney Griner Speaks Out After WNBA Star's Arrest In Russia

The wife of Brittney Griner has broken her silence after it was revealed that the athlete was arrested and detained in Russia on drug charges.

As we previously reported, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced that the 31-year-old basketballer, who plays for the UMMC Ekaterinburg team in Russia during the WNBA off-season, was arrested after officials found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. A video was released by the customs agency, which showed the moment that the hash pens were discovered from her personal belongings. And while the Russian Federal Customs Service didn’t identify Griner as the person who was detained at first, it was later revealed to be the player.

Related: Peta Murgatroyd ‘Forever Grateful’ For Husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s Safe Return From Ukraine

It is unclear when Griner was arrested, plus the details surrounding her detention are unknown. However, her last communication was on February 5, when she posted a picture of her and her Phoenix Mercury teammates on Instagram. And according to NBC News, Griner last played in Russia on January 29 before the league ended up taking a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments.

According to The New York Times, an investigation was opened against her for drug trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Her agent previously told E! News in a statement:

“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.”

Now, the Olympian’s wife has spoken out about what has happened. Cherelle Griner hopped on Instagram Sunday to express her gratitude to fans for the support while the efforts continue to free Brittney. She wrote alongside a picture of the couple sitting on a patio chair on the beach:

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely. Thank you!”

News of Brittney’s arrest comes amid the escalating conflict created by Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, the State Department even issued a “do not travel” advisory for Russia and urged all US citizens to leave immediately. Per The New York Times, any WNBA players who were in the country or Ukraine at the time had left – except for Griner. A spokesperson for the department told CNN:

“We are aware of reports of a U.S. citizen arrested in Moscow. Whenever a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services.”

While Reuters reports that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed diplomats are working to ensure Griner’s release, this is bound to become complicated situation given the increasing tensions between the US and Russia due to the latter’s invasion.

We can only imagine how scary all of this must be for Cherelle…

Reactions to her statement, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via Brittney Griner/Instagram, Cherelle Griner/Instagram]

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Mar 06, 2022 13:23pm PDT