(CNN) WNBA star Brittney Griner, in a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden, said she fears being detained in Russia indefinitely and urged the president not to forget about her and other American detainees.
“(While) I’m sitting 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 scared to stay here forever,” she wrote, according to a report. statement released by the communication company that represents the Griner family.
Griner, 31, who played for Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities alleged that she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. She went on trial in a court near Moscow on Friday on drug smuggling charges.
Griner supporters and US officials say she was wrongfully detained and have called for her release as fears mount that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US.
Griner’s letter to Biden, according to the communications company’s statement, was delivered to the White House on Monday morning. Three parts of the letter have been made public, while the rest are being kept confidential, the statement said.
“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts to think about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me. year,” Griner wrote to Biden.
“I know you’re dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do your best to bring us home. 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. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my companions! It kills me that they are suffering so much now. grateful for everything you can do right now to get me home.”
The White House reiterated on Monday that “the Russian Federation is unfairly detaining Brittney Griner”.
“President Biden was clear on the need to see all US citizens who are hostages or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner. Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement to CNN.
“The President’s team is in regular contact with Brittney’s family and we will continue to work to support her family,” Watson said, adding that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “spoke several times with Brittney’s wife. Brittney in recent weeks. and the White House is in close coordination with the Presidential Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney’s family, her teammates and her support network.”
Griner’s wife, Cherelle, told CNN last week that she wants US officials to do what they have to do to bring the basketball legend home — and she needs to see them do more.
In the only interview she gave on the eve of her wife’s trial in Russia, Cherelle Griner sat in the Phoenix Mercury locker room and called for more action.
“It’s very, very difficult. This is not a situation where rhetoric is matching action,” she said. “Unfortunately, I have to put pressure on people to make sure the things they’re telling me are also in line with their actions, so it’s been the hardest thing to balance because I can’t give up. It’s been 130 days and BG still hasn’t. back.”
The US House of Representatives last month passed a bipartisan resolution urging the Russian government to immediately release the WNBA star.
“There isn’t a day that we’re not thinking about Brittney and working to bring her home,” Arizona Democrat Greg Stanton, who sponsored the resolution, said in a statement. “We will continue to press for her release and ensure she is not forgotten.”
Stanton previously served as the mayor of Phoenix, where Griner plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Stanton introduced the resolution in May along with Democrats Sheila Jackson Lee and Colin Allred of Texas, Griner’s home state.
“I am grateful for this overwhelming show of support from Congress. We must do everything possible to keep Brittney’s case at the forefront and finally put an end to this nightmare,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement at the time.
Vanessa Nygaard, the Phoenix Mercury’s first-year coach, reacted Monday to Griner’s letter during a press conference in Los Angeles ahead of her team’s game against the Sparks.
“It made me cry, you know, just hearing her words talking about her father being a Vietnam vet, her newfound perspective on freedom, her wanting to be with her family and her teammates, her not knowing if she will ever be free again. On our freedom day, hearing these words from such a loved one… It’s great, and it’s great that she was able to get this message across to us and I hope that some people are paying attention to her and of course the Biden administration. and our State Department putting that in front of their messages would be awesome for us,” Nygaard said.
Mercury announced last week that a special public rally in support of Griner will be held on Wednesday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. The event is being held in coordination with the Stanton office, and Cherelle Griner will be a featured speaker.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Brittney Griner’s first name.
This story has been updated with additional reaction.
CNN’s Abby Phillip, Steve Almasy, Homero De la Fuente, Rachel Janfaza, Maegan Vazquez and Jill Martin contributed to this report.
