WASHINGTON | American women’s basketball star Brittney Griner on Monday asked her President Joe Biden, in a letter excerpts of which were released by her family, to do whatever it takes to free her from a Russian prison where local authorities have accused her of drug smuggling has been incarcerated since February.
• Also read: Russia: Trial opened against American basketball player Brittney Griner for drug trafficking
“Sitting here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, my family, my friends, my Olympic jersey or anything I’ve accomplished, I’m terrified of the thought, ‘Here forever to be,’ writes the two-time Olympic basketball champion, whose trial opened behind closed doors at the Khimki Court in a Moscow suburb on Friday.
The affair took on strong political connotations in the midst of the Russo-American crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I know very well that you have many things to contend with, but please don’t forget about me and the other American prisoners,” implores the Champion. “Please do whatever you can to bring us home.”
“I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you guys,” adds the 31-year-old basketball player. “I believe in you. I still have so much to do with my freedom that you can help me find it,” she wrote in a poignant letter.
“I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It’s devastating to know they are suffering so much right now. I’m grateful for anything you can do now to bring me home,” he pleads you.
Griner’s letter was symbolically deposited at the White House on Monday, US Independence Day.
“On July 4th, our family honors those who fought for freedom, including my father, who is a Vietnam War veteran,” Brittney Griner said in her letter.
The Phoenix Mercury player arrived in Russia in February to play during the American off-season, a common practice for basketball players who sometimes earn more abroad than they do at home.
Upon arrival at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, the two-time Olympic champion with the United States (2016, 2020) was arrested on charges of possessing vapes and a cannabis-based liquid.
His trial opened Friday morning and was adjourned until July 7.