Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession, and her detention has been widely reported as a political issue between the US and Russia.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges at her trial, and her detention is seen as a political pawn by Russia, with her agent calling on President Biden and Vice President Harris for help.

The US government considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia, and the Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap for Griner and Paul Whelan, involving exchanging them for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death".

Griner's detention has been viewed as a means for Russia to maximize leverage over the US, and her case has sparked discussions about LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice in the US, as well as the pay disparity between WNBA and NBA players.

The US government's response to Griner's detention has been criticized as slow and inadequate, with public pressure and awareness being crucial in securing her release.

Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian penal colony for attempting to smuggle narcotics into Russia, which is near the 10-year maximum for her conviction.

The Biden administration faces pressure to win Griner's release from detention, with her family criticizing the government's handling of her case initially.

Griner's case has geopolitical implications in US-Russia relations, which have become confrontational due to the Ukraine invasion.

Griner's detention has been extended for over 117 days, during which she was held in a Russian prison without a phone call.

The Russian government has denied that Griner is a political pawn, despite her detention being seen as a means to maximize leverage over the US.

A potential prisoner swap involving Griner and Viktor Bout is being discussed, with Bout's lawyer saying the swap is a "no-brainer".

Griner's guilty plea may be considered a mitigating factor in her trial, and her lawyers expect the trial to end in early August.

Griner's case has been referred to as a political hostage situation, with a Change.org petition for her release having over 64,000 signatures.

The US and Russia have increased tensions over the Ukraine invasion, which has contributed to Griner's prolonged detention.

Griner was arrested at Moscow airport for hashish oil possession and later sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.

Griner experienced torture and beatings in Russian prison, according to available information.

She was wrongfully detained, according to the US State Department, and spent time in a Russian penal colony before her release.

Griner's detention lasted from February to December, and she was eventually released through a prisoner swap with Russia.

The prisoner swap involved exchanging Griner for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who was serving a 25-year sentence.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court, but claimed she had no intent to break the law.

She was prescribed medical marijuana by a US doctor and was carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil when she was arrested.

Griner spent 11 months in Russian detention before being released and returning to the US.

The US government, including President Joe Biden, was involved in negotiations for Griner's release, with Biden signing off on the prisoner swap deal.

Biden also read an open letter from Griner asking for help and assured her that his administration would use every tool to bring her home.

The US Secretary of State proposed a prison swap to secure Griner's release, and the UAE officials and president facilitated her release.

Griner's family criticized the Biden administration's handling of her case, but Biden directed his team to stay in contact with them.

Griner's imprisonment sparked calls for her release and highlighted the issue of wrongful detention, with over 60 Americans held hostage in foreign countries.

After her release, Griner was reunited with her family in San Antonio, Texas.

Griner's experiences in the Russian prison system brought attention to the plight of detainees and the need for the US government to intervene in such cases.

The US government considers Brittney Griner wrongfully detained.

The Biden administration assigned diplomats to handle her release and the National Security Council explored ways to free Griner.

Secretary Blinken spoke to Brittney Griner's wife, and the US government seeks to secure Brittney Griner's release.

Biden wants all wrongfully detained US nationals released, including Brittney Griner.

The US government used all available methods to bring Griner back, and 40 advocacy groups urged Biden to reach an agreement for her release.

Brittney Griner faced 10 years in prison in Russia for possessing cannabis oil, and a Russian court extended her pre-trial detention.

The US began efforts to secure Brittney Griner's release in February, and Griner was released in exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker.

The US declared Griner wrongfully detained in May, intensifying negotiations, and the Biden administration made multiple offers to Russia to secure Griner's release.

Russia only accepted a one-for-one swap, excluding Paul Whelan, and Griner arrived in Abu Dhabi and boarded a plane home to the US.

The UAE officials helped facilitate the prisoner swap between the US and Russia, which marks a rare instance of US-Russia common ground since the Ukraine invasion.

The Biden administration will continue to work for Whelan's release, and the US previously secured Trevor Reed's release via a prisoner swap in April.

The US government faces pressure to secure Brittney Griner's release, and Russia wants to swap Griner for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison, and Griner faces a decade in prison for possessing cannabis oil.

Griner's trial resumed on July 7, and the Kremlin denies Griner is a political pawn.

The US has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Russia intensifies efforts to secure Bout's release.

The State Department prioritizes Griner's safety and security, and Brittney Griner was detained in Russia since February.

Griner faces up to 10 years in jail for drug possession, and Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court.

The Biden administration is working to secure Griner's release, and Griner sent a letter to Biden asking for assistance.

Biden had a phone call with Griner's wife Cherelle, and Biden directed his national security team to stay in contact with Griner's family.

Bill Richardson traveled to Moscow for Brittney Griner talks, and Richardson helped free Trevor Reed from Russia in April.

Richardson represents Griner and Paul Whelan's families, and Griner pleaded guilty to charges in a Moscow court.

The Biden administration is committed to negotiating Griner's release, and the White House is in contact with Richardson about Griner's case.

Russia floated trading Griner for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer, and Griner was released from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap.

Griner was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, and President Joe Biden signed off on the trade.

American businessman Paul Whelan was not included in the deal, and Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug charges.

Biden kept in touch with Griner and wrote her a letter, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed a deal for Griner's release.

Griner spent 294 days in Russian captivity, and Griner was arrested at Moscow's airport for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.

Biden is working to secure Brittney Griner's release from Russia, and Biden receives daily updates on Griner's negotiations.

Biden called Cherelle Griner to reassure her of efforts, and Griner has been detained in Russia for four months.

Griner is on trial for possessing cannabis oil vape cartridges, and Biden is committed to helping Griner's family.

The White House sent a letter to Brittney Griner, and the WNBA Players Association feels Griner has not been forgotten.

Over 1,100 Black women leaders sent an open letter to Biden, and Biden is also working to release Paul Whelan and others.

The Biden administration offered a prisoner swap for Griner and Paul Whelan, and the US government considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia.

Biden vows to work tirelessly to bring Griner home safely, and the US proposed trading Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout.

Russia made an unspecified "bad faith" counteroffer, and conversations are ongoing between the US and Russia at various levels.

Biden faces pressure to win Griner's release from supporters and a public campaign, and US officials worry that prisoner swaps could encourage hostile governments to detain Americans.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Griner's fate with Russia's foreign minister, and the Biden administration is wary of giving in to Russian tactics labeled as blackmail.

Brittney Griner's wife met with President Biden at the White House, and the Biden administration is working to release Griner from a Russian prison.

Griner was detained in Russia for 211 days for carrying cannabis oil, and Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on August 4, and the US and Russia worked on a potential prison swap for Griner.

The Biden administration offered to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner, and Griner was classified as "wrongfully detained" by the Biden administration.

The US made a substantial offer to Russia for Gr

Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession, and her detention has been widely reported as a political issue between the US and Russia.

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Content: US offers 'substantial' deal to swap Russian arms dealer for Griner, Whelan

By ANI | Published: July 28, 2022 02:38 PM 2022-07-28T14:38:16+5:30 2022-07-28T14:45:13+5:30

The United States has offered Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death" in exchange for the release of US citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, both held by Moscow.

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The United States has offered Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death" in exchange for the release of US citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, both held by Moscow.

Notably, Viktor Bout was given a 25-year prison sentence by the US in 2012.

The United States has put a "substantial proposal on the table" to facilitate the release of US citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, both held by Russia in what the US has termed "wrongful detention", US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

Blinken on Wednesday said that he would soon press for the Americans' return in his first conversation with his Moscow counterpart for the first time since the Ukraine war.

The US, for the first time, had confirmed that it had made proposals to Russia to release the American basketball star, Griner, who was detained for months in a drugs case and Whelan, sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in 2016, The New York Times reported.

The notion of trading Griner for Bout surfaced in Russian news media several weeks ago. US officials would not publicly discuss the idea at the time and stressed their concern about potentially incentivizing the detention of Americans abroad by foreign actors looking to win concessions.

However, on Wednesday, State Secretary said that the two countries had "communicated repeatedly and directly" about the proposal, though he would not provide details or describe the Russian response, saying he did not want to endanger sensitive negotiations with Moscow, reported The New York Times.

CNN was the first one to break the news that the United States, in June, offered to trade. Bout for Griner and Whelan. And US President Joe Biden, who has been under growing political pressure to free the Americans, backed the offer.

Blinken further said that he expected to talk with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov in the coming days and urge him to accept the proposal. The two ministers talked to each other before the Russia-Ukraine war, in January. Blinken avoided so much as shaking Lavrov's hand at a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Bali earlier this month.

Biden has been under the pressure to secure the freedom of Griner in particular, whose wife, Cherelle, and several Democratic-aligned political groups have publicly urged him to strike a deal to win her release. Biden spoke to Cherelle Griner this month, according to The New York Times.

In mid-July, the Women's National Basketball Association players took to the court in Chicago at their All-star Game, wearing jerseys bearing Griner's number 42. The New York Times citing NBC News, reported that Trevor Reed, a former US Marine freed from a Russian prison in April after three years of detention, in which he said the White House was "not doing enough" to free Griner and Whelan.

In February, the Russian authorities detained Brittney Griner, on drug charges, after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage while she was at an airport near Moscow.

In Russia, she was stopped at an airport near Moscow and since then, her detention has been repeatedly extended. Griner's trial began on July 1 and she pleaded guilty. Her lawyers have argued that the star had a medical prescription for the hashish oil and mistakenly carried the drug into Russia.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

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Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges at her trial, and her detention is seen as a political pawn by Russia, with her agent calling on President Biden and Vice President Harris for help.

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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...

The US government considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia, and the Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap for Griner and Paul Whelan, involving exchanging them for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death".

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Russian court sentences Brittney Griner to 9 years, raising pressure on Biden

A Russian court Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in a penal colony after convicting her on a drug charge, a harsh penalty that keeps her fate entwined with the geopolitical showdown over the war in Ukraine and ramps up already intense pressure on President Joe Biden to win her release.

The U.S. government contends that she is among several Americans who have been “wrongfully detained” by Russia, used as bargaining chips in the increasingly hostile relationship between Moscow and Washington. The Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap involving Griner, but Russian officials said it was premature to discuss a deal while her case was underway.

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Now that the trial is concluded, Biden faces a difficult choice between standing firm on his proposal to trade for Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, or sweetening the offer somehow, with either position liable to draw domestic criticism.

Meanwhile the Kremlin can use them as leverage, with no incentive to resolve the cases quickly. Griner’s supporters, voicing horror at the verdict and sentence, are clamoring for the president to do something, while the administration is wary of giving in to Russian tactics it has all but labeled blackmail.

“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” Biden said in a statement after the verdict.

Griner, 31, one of her sport’s biggest global stars, sat mostly expressionless, eyes downcast, leaning her long frame toward the bars of the defendant’s box in a cramped courtroom outside Moscow to hear as the words of the judge, Anna Sotnikova, were quietly translated for her. She had already pleaded guilty, and conviction is all but certain in Russian courts, so the verdict was a foregone conclusion; the real question was about sentencing.

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The answer was devastating. The sentence was near the 10-year maximum for her conviction for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country, based on two vape cartridges containing hashish oil found in Griner’s luggage when she arrived in February, a week before President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces to Ukraine.

She and her legal team had hoped for a more lenient penalty based on her guilty plea, her statement that she had not meant to take the cartridges to Russia, and testimony that she used the substance legally in the United States to manage pain.

“I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here,” she said before the sentencing.

She told the court that while she took responsibility for her actions, “I had no intent to break Russian law.” She said that after recovering from a bout of COVID, she had packed hurriedly to rejoin the Russian team she plays for in the WNBA offseason, and had accidentally left the cartridges in her luggage.

Griner’s defense team called the ruling “absolutely unreasonable,” said the court had “completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea,” and vowed to appeal. Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, attended the court session and called the result “a miscarriage of justice.”

Russian officials have insisted that Griner’s case is simply the justice system running its course, with no political overtones — a claim that their U.S. counterparts and many Western analysts dismissed as absurd.

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William Pomeranz, a Russia expert and acting director of the Kennan Institute, a research group in Washington, noted that Griner was sentenced not to a prison but to a penal colony, which tends to mean a more remote location — many are in Siberia — and harsher conditions.

“She’s probably going to go to a penal colony that’s in the middle of Russia where she won’t know anybody,” he added. “They won’t be able to come and visit. Penal colonies can sometimes be very severe. It will be a tremendous test of her mental state if she ends up going to a penal colony.”

The United States has few options, he said. “It will just depend on the Russians and how fast they want to make a deal.”

Fellow basketball players, male and female, and basketball executives took to social media to voice support for Griner and grief at the verdict. Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, said in a statement: “We remain heartbroken for her, as we have every day for nearly six months. We remain grateful to and confident in the public servants working every day to return her to her family and us.”

With Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the indiscriminate destruction it has caused, relations between Washington and Moscow are more confrontational and bitter than they have been in decades. The United States has rallied the West to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, and to punish Moscow with economic sanctions, looking for opportunities to ratchet up the pressure.

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The two sides have made prisoner exchanges before, most recently in April, when Russia released Trevor Reed, an American held on what his family said was a bogus assault charge, in return for a Russian pilot convicted in the United States of cocaine trafficking charges. But rarely have proposed swaps come amid such tension, or involved anyone as prominent as Griner.

In a sign of how high the stakes are for Washington, Griner’s fate was among the topics discussed last Friday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in their first direct conversation since before the invasion.

The Biden administration has offered to trade Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence for a 2011 conviction on a federal charge of conspiring to sell weapons to people posing as terrorists intent on killing Americans. Whelan, detained in Russia since 2018, was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years.

Russia made an unspecified “bad faith” counteroffer, the White House said Monday, which U.S. officials said they did not consider serious.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters Thursday, “I don’t think it would be helpful to Brittney or to Paul for us to talk more publicly about where we are in the talks and what the president might or might not be willing to do.”

“Conversations are ongoing at various levels,” he added.

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If Biden sticks to his initial offer, he could face accusations of not doing enough.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, and other supporters have mounted an effective public campaign to pressure the president to win her release. Supporters worry about her treatment in a country where anti-American and anti-gay vitriol are deeply embedded in popular views and official propaganda. Images of a grim-faced Griner being led, handcuffed, in and out of court, towering over her armed guards, have become commonplace in U.S. and international media.

The administration could make a more attractive offer, but U.S. officials already worry that deals for prisoners could encourage hostile foreign governments to detain Americans on trumped-up charges in exchange for concessions like freeing their own wrongdoers. Some Republicans have already complained that Biden’s existing offer creates such an incentive.

A 6-foot-9 center, Griner won a college national championship with Baylor in 2012, a WNBA championship with the Mercury in 2014, Olympic gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2016 and 2020 games, and four EuroLeague championships with the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg. Like many players in the WNBA, where salaries are much lower than in the NBA, Griner — who also played one season for a professional team in China — has played overseas to supplement her income.

Griner's detention has been viewed as a means for Russia to maximize leverage over the US, and her case has sparked discussions about LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice in the US, as well as the pay disparity between WNBA and NBA players.

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Where does wrongful detention of Brittney Griner go from here?

She will inevitably be labeled a hostage

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Brittney Griner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Opinions

GLAA has lost its way and should close

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

Published

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(Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Opinions

An unlikely revolution is happening at Christian universities

More than half have enacted LGBTQ non-discrimination policies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The US government's response to Griner's detention has been criticized as slow and inadequate, with public pressure and awareness being crucial in securing her release.

Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian penal colony for attempting to smuggle narcotics into Russia, which is near the 10-year maximum for her conviction.

The Biden administration faces pressure to win Griner's release from detention, with her family criticizing the government's handling of her case initially.

Griner's case has geopolitical implications in US-Russia relations, which have become confrontational due to the Ukraine invasion.

Griner's detention has been extended for over 117 days, during which she was held in a Russian prison without a phone call.

Title:

Content: HOMEPAGE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Russian government has denied that Griner is a political pawn, despite her detention being seen as a means to maximize leverage over the US.

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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A potential prisoner swap involving Griner and Viktor Bout is being discussed, with Bout's lawyer saying the swap is a "no-brainer".

Griner's guilty plea may be considered a mitigating factor in her trial, and her lawyers expect the trial to end in early August.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner to make another court appearance at a hearing in Russia

The content originally appeared on: CNN

CNN

WNBA star Brittney Griner is expected to make another court appearance Thursday, a week after she pleaded guilty to drug charges at a Russian court near Moscow.

The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The hearing comes as many in the WNBA, along with other athletes, coaches and politicians, have called for Griner’s release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid the war in Ukraine. The US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained.

Griner also wrote a letter to President Joe Biden in which she said she fears she will be detained in Russia indefinitely and pleaded for the President not to forget about her or other American detainees.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home,” Griner wrote. “I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”

It is unclear if the hearing on Thursday will lead to a verdict or if the trial could drag into additional hearings. Griner admitted guilt in the last hearing but told the court that she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

During Thursday’s hearing, the court could force the defense to expand further on her intention, or they could move on to sentencing her, US officials said.

Griner’s lawyers expect the court to take into account the 31-year-old athlete’s guilty plea and hope for leniency, Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina told journalists last week.

Samples taken from Griner did not show any traces of drugs, Boykov added. “She was clean, and she was tested,” the lawyer said.

Griner’s legal team said it was her decision to plead guilty, adding that she “sets an example of being brave.”

“She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people,” their statement read.

“Considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentence.”

Her lawyers said they expect the trial to end around the beginning of the August.

CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Rosa Flores, Jacqueline Rose, Alexa Miranda, Abby Phillip, Dakin Andone and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.

Griner's case has been referred to as a political hostage situation, with a Change.org petition for her release having over 64,000 signatures.

Title:

Content: MadameNoire Featured Video

Source: Mike Mattina / Getty

A court in Moscow has extended the detention of WNBA player Brittney Griner, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS

Griner, 31, was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 and arrested on drug smuggling charges. Despite being one of the WNBA’s most recognizable athletes, the basketball player’s detainment in Russia thus far has had some refer to her as a political hostage, due to it preceding Russia’s increased tensions with the United States over the invasion of Ukraine.

As MADAMENOIRE previously reported, Russian authorities claim the basketball star’s luggage contained vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

CNN noted the situation’s more recent development and that according to TASS “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19.”

Tom Firestone, a former U.S. Justice Department legal resident advisor to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, shared with ESPN that delay for more investigation time in Griner’s case is standard in Russia and that the player could be held without trial anywhere from 12-18 months.

If found guilty, the Phoenix Mercury player faces up to 10 years in Russian prison.

While the situation may seem bleak, Griner has received tons of support from those anticipating her safe return.

A Change.org petition created by sports writer Tamryn Spruill now has 64,192 signatures.

On March 7, Griner’s wife Cherelle penned a message on social media to the basketball player that read,” We love you babe! People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats every day that goes by. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family ♥.”

We’ll keep you updated as this story progresses.

RELATED CONTENT: “Freeing Brittney Griner From Russian Detainment Could Be A ‘Very Difficult’ Task”

TRENDING ON MADAMENOIRE

The US and Russia have increased tensions over the Ukraine invasion, which has contributed to Griner's prolonged detention.

Title:

Content: MadameNoire Featured Video

Source: Mike Mattina / Getty

A court in Moscow has extended the detention of WNBA player Brittney Griner, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS

Griner, 31, was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 and arrested on drug smuggling charges. Despite being one of the WNBA’s most recognizable athletes, the basketball player’s detainment in Russia thus far has had some refer to her as a political hostage, due to it preceding Russia’s increased tensions with the United States over the invasion of Ukraine.

As MADAMENOIRE previously reported, Russian authorities claim the basketball star’s luggage contained vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

CNN noted the situation’s more recent development and that according to TASS “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19.”

Tom Firestone, a former U.S. Justice Department legal resident advisor to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, shared with ESPN that delay for more investigation time in Griner’s case is standard in Russia and that the player could be held without trial anywhere from 12-18 months.

If found guilty, the Phoenix Mercury player faces up to 10 years in Russian prison.

While the situation may seem bleak, Griner has received tons of support from those anticipating her safe return.

A Change.org petition created by sports writer Tamryn Spruill now has 64,192 signatures.

On March 7, Griner’s wife Cherelle penned a message on social media to the basketball player that read,” We love you babe! People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats every day that goes by. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family ♥.”

We’ll keep you updated as this story progresses.

RELATED CONTENT: “Freeing Brittney Griner From Russian Detainment Could Be A ‘Very Difficult’ Task”

TRENDING ON MADAMENOIRE

Griner was arrested at Moscow airport for hashish oil possession and later sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.

Title:

Content: Categories
Finance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Griner experienced torture and beatings in Russian prison, according to available information.

She was wrongfully detained, according to the US State Department, and spent time in a Russian penal colony before her release.

Griner's detention lasted from February to December, and she was eventually released through a prisoner swap with Russia.

The prisoner swap involved exchanging Griner for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who was serving a 25-year sentence.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court, but claimed she had no intent to break the law.

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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She was prescribed medical marijuana by a US doctor and was carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil when she was arrested.

Griner spent 11 months in Russian detention before being released and returning to the US.

The US government, including President Joe Biden, was involved in negotiations for Griner's release, with Biden signing off on the prisoner swap deal.

Biden also read an open letter from Griner asking for help and assured her that his administration would use every tool to bring her home.

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Content: The open letter to President Biden, written by hand and released on the Fourth of July, tore at the heart. This is the unfortunate plight of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, wrongfully detained for 143 days and counting in a godforsaken gulag 6,000 miles from home.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison,” Griner wrote, “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.” She went on to beseech Biden: “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.”

We have been told by the White House press secretary that Biden has read the letter. We also have been told his Administration will “use every tool we possibly can” to bring Griner home. I hope so, because Russian news reports have said Griner, arrested on Feb. 17th, faces up to 10 years in prison for allegedly having .702 grams of hash oil in two vape cartridges in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7.

Biden and the U.S. State Department should use every tool in America’s toolbox to secure Griner’s release – exactly as he should on behalf of the more than 60 Americans currently held hostage in foreign countries.

Like Paul Whelan, a former Marine wrongfully detained in Russia since 2018. Like “the Citgo 6,” petroleum executives wrongfully held in Venezuela since 2017. And like Alina Lopez-Miyares, wrongfully locked up in a Cuban prison since January 2017.

In a more just world, we would care about all these Americans with the same vigor and at the same loud volume. The truth? As a culture, we have a limited attention span, a finite amount of compassion we spend in dollops – a sprinkling for the homeless here, a few spoonsful for the struggling poor there, and a drip or two for Brittney Griner.

Is that right? I don’t think so. I wish

we had an endless reserve of compassion, enough to go around in the right proportions.

Even so, I disagree wholeheartedly with Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard, who took dead aim at America in comments supporting Griner last week.

“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” Nygaard declared. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those. We know it.”

Actually, it’s a statement about how little we pay attention to wrongful detainees and their suffering. Virtually no one save the families of the imprisoned has made a peep about wrongfully imprisoned Americans anywhere, about Whelan, the Citgo 6, or Lopez-Miyares. This silence has nothing to do with race, gender, or who someone loves. It has everything to do with our culture’s capacity to empathize.

Nygaard seems to think if Griner was male, white and straight, America would be threatening nuclear war. Reality says otherwise. Nygaard is correct about one thing, though. If Lebron James was wrongfully imprisoned, Americans would be rioting in the streets.

That has everything to do with celebrity, which is the only reason you have heard about Brittney Griner’s case at all. If Griner couldn’t dribble, couldn’t dunk, wasn’t a six-time WBNA All-Star, her imprisonment would be occurring in silence.

Nygaard is dead wrong about for whom we care and why. We reserve the greatest compassion for the most famous among us – that is a perverted truth about the American way.

I hope Brittney Griner comes home soon. And I hope we bring every other wrongfully detained American home with her.

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The US Secretary of State proposed a prison swap to secure Griner's release, and the UAE officials and president facilitated her release.

Griner's family criticized the Biden administration's handling of her case, but Biden directed his team to stay in contact with them.

Griner's imprisonment sparked calls for her release and highlighted the issue of wrongful detention, with over 60 Americans held hostage in foreign countries.

After her release, Griner was reunited with her family in San Antonio, Texas.

Griner's experiences in the Russian prison system brought attention to the plight of detainees and the need for the US government to intervene in such cases.

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Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

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The US government considers Brittney Griner wrongfully detained.

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U.S. basketball star detained in Russia for months, Blinken speaks to family
2022 / 6 / 23 15: 49
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for months, and a coalition of human rights groups today urged President Joe Biden and Russia to "reach an agreement" to secure her release, and Secretary of State Colin Blinken also spoke to Griner's wife today.
WNBA player Griner, who won two Olympic gold medals for the United States, was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after being charged with carrying several e-cigarette boxes containing cannabis oil in his luggage. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.
A Russian court last week extended her pre-trial detention to July 2.
Senior State Department officials said Antony Blinken spoke with Greiner ’ s same-sex wife, Cherelle Griner, this evening, but did not disclose details.
The State Department said yesterday that Mr. Greiner had not been able to speak to his wife as scheduled over the weekend because of logistical problems exacerbated by Russia ’ s restrictions on the U.S. Embassy ’ s operations in Moscow.
Forty advocacy groups, including the National Organization for Women, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (GLAAD), have praised the Biden administration ’ s efforts, including in May when it said the 31-year-old Greiner had been “wrongly detained ” and assigned diplomats to handle his release.
But they say more needs to be done.
Reuters reviewed the groups ’ letters to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, which read: “The U.S. government categorizes Britney as wrongfully detained and acknowledges that she is essentially a political pawn. ”
“While these are vital measures, we now urge you to reach an agreement so that Britney can return to the United States safely and immediately. ”
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told Reuters the government was looking at ways to secure Greiner ’ s release.
"President Biden has made it clear that it is necessary to see all U.S. nationals held as hostages or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Greiner," Watson said in an email.
“The United States Government continues to make vigorous efforts to try to bring her back using all available methods. ” (Translator: Lee Pei-shan / Authored by: Chan Cheng-yi) 1110623
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The Biden administration assigned diplomats to handle her release and the National Security Council explored ways to free Griner.

Secretary Blinken spoke to Brittney Griner's wife, and the US government seeks to secure Brittney Griner's release.

Biden wants all wrongfully detained US nationals released, including Brittney Griner.

The US government used all available methods to bring Griner back, and 40 advocacy groups urged Biden to reach an agreement for her release.

Brittney Griner faced 10 years in prison in Russia for possessing cannabis oil, and a Russian court extended her pre-trial detention.

The US began efforts to secure Brittney Griner's release in February, and Griner was released in exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker.

The US declared Griner wrongfully detained in May, intensifying negotiations, and the Biden administration made multiple offers to Russia to secure Griner's release.

Russia only accepted a one-for-one swap, excluding Paul Whelan, and Griner arrived in Abu Dhabi and boarded a plane home to the US.

The UAE officials helped facilitate the prisoner swap between the US and Russia, which marks a rare instance of US-Russia common ground since the Ukraine invasion.

The Biden administration will continue to work for Whelan's release, and the US previously secured Trevor Reed's release via a prisoner swap in April.

The US government faces pressure to secure Brittney Griner's release, and Russia wants to swap Griner for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison, and Griner faces a decade in prison for possessing cannabis oil.

Griner's trial resumed on July 7, and the Kremlin denies Griner is a political pawn.

The US has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Russia intensifies efforts to secure Bout's release.

The State Department prioritizes Griner's safety and security, and Brittney Griner was detained in Russia since February.

Griner faces up to 10 years in jail for drug possession, and Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court.

The Biden administration is working to secure Griner's release, and Griner sent a letter to Biden asking for assistance.

Biden had a phone call with Griner's wife Cherelle, and Biden directed his national security team to stay in contact with Griner's family.

Bill Richardson traveled to Moscow for Brittney Griner talks, and Richardson helped free Trevor Reed from Russia in April.

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Content: NewsNational News

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Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to travel to Moscow for talks on freeing Brittney Griner: Source

Posted at 6:53 AM, Jul 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-10 09:53:42-04

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia in the near future for talks aimed at finding a deal to free the detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, a source with knowledge of the proposed trip told ABC News.

Richardson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, played a role in achieving a prisoner exchange in April that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.

He is expected to go to Moscow in the next couple of weeks, according to the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Russia has repeatedly suggested it's interested in trading Griner for Russians held in U.S. prisons. The new trip appears aimed at seeing if a similar deal to the one that freed Reed could be produced for Griner.

Richardson’s office did not confirm the potential visit, telling ABC News “we are unable to comment on this at the moment.”

“What I can say (and is publicly known) is both the Whelan and Griner families have asked us to help with the release of their loved ones,” Mickey Bergman, executive director at the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, told ABC News in an email.

Richardson is currently representing the Griner family as well as the family of Paul Whelan, the other former Marine held by Russia for three and a half years.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball, has been in detention in Russia since mid-February after she was stopped at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and accused by Russian authorities of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

This week, Griner told a Moscow court she would like to plead guilty to the charges, saying she had brought the vape cartridges into Russia unintentionally, explaining she had not meant to leave them in her bag.

The Biden administration has classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” and American officials believe Russia seized her, like Whelan and Reed, to use as bargaining chips with the U.S.

Richardson’s possible trip comes amid speculation whether the U.S. would be willing to make another prisoner swap to free Griner. The Biden administration has said it is committed to negotiating with Russia for Griner’s release but it has refused to comment on whether it is considering any trade.

Asked to comment on Richardson's potential visit, the White House National Security Council told ABC it was in contact with Richardson and valued his efforts, but declined to say more.

“NSC leadership are in touch with Bill Richardson. We appreciate his commitment to getting Americans home and are pursuing the release of Brittney and Paul through government channels,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, said she had requested Richardson's team's help and would support a trip if it took place.

“We asked the Richardson Center to help and I’m encouraged that he might be going,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement to ABC through Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas.

Richardson has a long history of working to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas. Through his nonprofit, the Richardson Center, he has helped return U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iran and North Korea among others.

His team represented Trevor Reed’s family and spent months engaged in shuttle diplomacy trying to outline a possible deal to free him.

Richardson even flew to Moscow on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a last ditch effort to persuade Russia to make a trade.

Richardson does not represent the White House. In Reed’s case, he approached Russia’s government and the Biden administration separately to try to feel out what both sides might accept as any possible deal. He then relayed what he had heard back to both sides.

In the end, the prisoner trade the White House made for Reed was the same one Richardson had been advocating for: releasing Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a U.S. prison sentence for drug smuggling.

Richardson has since encouraged the Biden administration to consider making similar deals for Griner and Paul Whelan.

Following Griner’s court appearance on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was "going to do everything that we can to bring home Brittney Griner safely, and to also make sure that we bring Paul Whelan back home as well." Jean-Pierre said Griner's guilty plea would have "no impact" on the efforts to negotiate her release.

Russian state media and officials have repeatedly floated trading Griner or Whelan for Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer, dubbed “the Merchant of Death” in the media and who is currently serving a 25 year sentence on narco-terrorism charges.

Trevor Reed and his family have called on the Biden administration to exchange Bout if it would free Whelan and Griner.

Speaking to ABC News this week, Reed urged President Joe Biden to do more.

"I hope that President Biden and his administration will do everything possible to get both, you know, Brittney and Paul out of Russia, and that they will do that immediately," he told ABC News. "Because every day that, you know, they sit here and wait to make a decision is one more day that, you know, Paul and Brittney are suffering."

Richardson represents Griner and Paul Whelan's families, and Griner pleaded guilty to charges in a Moscow court.

The Biden administration is committed to negotiating Griner's release, and the White House is in contact with Richardson about Griner's case.

Russia floated trading Griner for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer, and Griner was released from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap.

Griner was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, and President Joe Biden signed off on the trade.

American businessman Paul Whelan was not included in the deal, and Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug charges.

Biden kept in touch with Griner and wrote her a letter, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed a deal for Griner's release.

Griner spent 294 days in Russian captivity, and Griner was arrested at Moscow's airport for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.

Biden is working to secure Brittney Griner's release from Russia, and Biden receives daily updates on Griner's negotiations.

Title:

Content: Upon receiving letter from Houston's Brittney Griner, Biden says he's working to get her home

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- One day before the trial for Houston native Brittney Griner resumes in Russia, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Cherelle Griner, Brittney Griner's wife.

Biden's conversation with Cherelle Griner followed Brittney Griner's personal appeal to the president in a handwritten letter from the basketball superstar the White House received Monday.

In the letter, Brittney Griner said she feared she would spend forever in detention in Russia and asked Biden not to "forget about me and the other American Detainees."

Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for four months and is currently on trial, accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. The trial resumes Thursday.

Less than 1% of the defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and, unlike in U.S. courts, acquittals can be overturned.

"The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney Griner'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. "He also read her a draft of the letter the President is sending to Brittney Griner (Wednesday)."

Biden offered the family his support and committed to making sure they receive "all possible assistance" during the administration's pursuit of Brittney Griner's release, the White House said. He added this situation has been at the top of his mind, and he receives daily updates about the status of Brittney Griner's negotiations.

Following the phone call, Cherelle Griner released a statement saying - in part - she's grateful for the time the president and vice president spent with her and for the commitment they expressed to bringing Brittney Griner home. Cherelle Griner admits she remains concerned and will stay outspoken, but is also hopeful.

The WNBA Players Association, upon learning about the president's phone call, says in a statement, it now has "a level of comfort BG has not been forgotten."

Additionally, a group of more than 1,100 Black women leaders sent an open letter to Biden and Harris on behalf of Brittney Griner.

The letter from the Win With Black Women Network, calling on the president and vice president to make a deal with Russian officials, is signed by basketball Hall of Famers, elected officials, activists and even Tina Knowles-Lawson, Beyonce's mother.

The women leaders say Brittney Griner is being used as a political pawn and enduring inhumane conditions while being denied communication with her spouse, family and friends.

For more sports news, follow Adam Winkler on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2022 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Biden called Cherelle Griner to reassure her of efforts, and Griner has been detained in Russia for four months.

Griner is on trial for possessing cannabis oil vape cartridges, and Biden is committed to helping Griner's family.

The White House sent a letter to Brittney Griner, and the WNBA Players Association feels Griner has not been forgotten.

Over 1,100 Black women leaders sent an open letter to Biden, and Biden is also working to release Paul Whelan and others.

The Biden administration offered a prisoner swap for Griner and Paul Whelan, and the US government considers Griner "wrongfully detained" by Russia.

Biden vows to work tirelessly to bring Griner home safely, and the US proposed trading Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout.

Russia made an unspecified "bad faith" counteroffer, and conversations are ongoing between the US and Russia at various levels.

Biden faces pressure to win Griner's release from supporters and a public campaign, and US officials worry that prisoner swaps could encourage hostile governments to detain Americans.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Griner's fate with Russia's foreign minister, and the Biden administration is wary of giving in to Russian tactics labeled as blackmail.

Brittney Griner's wife met with President Biden at the White House, and the Biden administration is working to release Griner from a Russian prison.

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Content: X

Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Meets with President Biden at White House

Erin WalshSeptember 16, 2022

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, met with President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Friday to reassure her that the administration is continuing to work on the release of the detained WNBA star from a Russian prison.

"We're going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, per ESPN.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 211 days. She was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7 and said in court that she had the cannabis oil in her luggage for medicinal use, while her lawyer told the court Griner had a doctor's letter for its use. Griner said "she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry," per Jim Heintz of the Associated Press. However, all cannabis use—medicinal and recreational—is illegal in Russia.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Aug. 4.

The United States and Russia have been working on a potential prison swap in order to bring home Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has reportedly offered to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, per Gerald Posner of Forbes.

Jean-Pierre acknowledged Friday that "a substantial offer is on the table" and that Russia should accept the deal. However, she did not make any mention of what is included in the offer.

The Biden administration classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May and has frequently said that it is doing everything possible to bring Griner home.

The Phoenix Mercury selected Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor. She has spent her entire nine-year career with the franchise, earning seven All-Star selections. The WNBA also named her an honorary All-Star this year.

Griner is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ranks third all-time in career blocks and field-goal percentage and helped lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA title.

She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has won three Russian league titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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Griner was detained in Russia for 211 days for carrying cannabis oil, and Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7.

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Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Meets with President Biden at White House

Erin WalshSeptember 16, 2022

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, met with President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Friday to reassure her that the administration is continuing to work on the release of the detained WNBA star from a Russian prison.

"We're going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, per ESPN.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 211 days. She was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7 and said in court that she had the cannabis oil in her luggage for medicinal use, while her lawyer told the court Griner had a doctor's letter for its use. Griner said "she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry," per Jim Heintz of the Associated Press. However, all cannabis use—medicinal and recreational—is illegal in Russia.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Aug. 4.

The United States and Russia have been working on a potential prison swap in order to bring home Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has reportedly offered to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, per Gerald Posner of Forbes.

Jean-Pierre acknowledged Friday that "a substantial offer is on the table" and that Russia should accept the deal. However, she did not make any mention of what is included in the offer.

The Biden administration classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May and has frequently said that it is doing everything possible to bring Griner home.

The Phoenix Mercury selected Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor. She has spent her entire nine-year career with the franchise, earning seven All-Star selections. The WNBA also named her an honorary All-Star this year.

Griner is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ranks third all-time in career blocks and field-goal percentage and helped lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA title.

She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has won three Russian league titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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The latest in the sports world, emailed daily.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on August 4, and the US and Russia worked on a potential prison swap for Griner.

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Content: X

Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Meets with President Biden at White House

Erin WalshSeptember 16, 2022

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, met with President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Friday to reassure her that the administration is continuing to work on the release of the detained WNBA star from a Russian prison.

"We're going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, per ESPN.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 211 days. She was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7 and said in court that she had the cannabis oil in her luggage for medicinal use, while her lawyer told the court Griner had a doctor's letter for its use. Griner said "she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry," per Jim Heintz of the Associated Press. However, all cannabis use—medicinal and recreational—is illegal in Russia.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Aug. 4.

The United States and Russia have been working on a potential prison swap in order to bring home Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has reportedly offered to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, per Gerald Posner of Forbes.

Jean-Pierre acknowledged Friday that "a substantial offer is on the table" and that Russia should accept the deal. However, she did not make any mention of what is included in the offer.

The Biden administration classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May and has frequently said that it is doing everything possible to bring Griner home.

The Phoenix Mercury selected Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor. She has spent her entire nine-year career with the franchise, earning seven All-Star selections. The WNBA also named her an honorary All-Star this year.

Griner is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ranks third all-time in career blocks and field-goal percentage and helped lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA title.

She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has won three Russian league titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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The Biden administration offered to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner, and Griner was classified as "wrongfully detained" by the Biden administration.

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Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Meets with President Biden at White House

Erin WalshSeptember 16, 2022

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, met with President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Friday to reassure her that the administration is continuing to work on the release of the detained WNBA star from a Russian prison.

"We're going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, per ESPN.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 211 days. She was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7 and said in court that she had the cannabis oil in her luggage for medicinal use, while her lawyer told the court Griner had a doctor's letter for its use. Griner said "she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry," per Jim Heintz of the Associated Press. However, all cannabis use—medicinal and recreational—is illegal in Russia.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Aug. 4.

The United States and Russia have been working on a potential prison swap in order to bring home Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has reportedly offered to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, per Gerald Posner of Forbes.

Jean-Pierre acknowledged Friday that "a substantial offer is on the table" and that Russia should accept the deal. However, she did not make any mention of what is included in the offer.

The Biden administration classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May and has frequently said that it is doing everything possible to bring Griner home.

The Phoenix Mercury selected Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor. She has spent her entire nine-year career with the franchise, earning seven All-Star selections. The WNBA also named her an honorary All-Star this year.

Griner is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ranks third all-time in career blocks and field-goal percentage and helped lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA title.

She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has won three Russian league titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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The latest in the sports world, emailed daily.

The US made a substantial offer to Russia for Gr

The US made a substantial offer to Russia for Gr

The US made a substantial offer to Russia for Gr