US basketball star Brittney Griner marks 32nd birthday in Russian prison, releases message for supporters

As American basketball player Brittney Griner remains imprisoned in Russia for the past eight months, her family and supporters have renewed the "#WeAreBG" campaign to put pressure on the US President Joe Biden’s administration. Fans of the double Olympic champion and eight-time Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) all-star, Griner believe that her arrest on drug charges back in February, was a mistake and appeals the Biden administration to act quickly for her release.

In a message to her supporters on Tuesday, Brittney Griner said that she was strengthened by the love she has received while being detained in Russia for the last eight months. According to a statement shared by Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm, Brittney Griner said, “Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me”.

The US State Department termed Brittney Garner’s arrest as "wrongfully detained”. Although State Department officials claimed to have made a substantial proposal to free the US women basketball star and a former US marine, Paul Whelan, the matter has not yet reached an actionable point. Meanwhile, a Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s aide commented that Brittney Garner is not currently a significant issue for Russia.




With Russia busy in Ukraine war and the mid-term elections approaching in the US, Brittney Griner continues to languish in prison in Moscow. Her supporters remain concerned that she may be moved to a Russian labour camp. Brittney Griner’s legal team, meanwhile, hopes for a turnaround in the case on her appeal date next week.

FAQs:

1. Who is Brittney Griner?
   Brittney Griner, 32, played professional basketball for the Phoenix Mercury, a team in the Women's National Basketball Association of America. Brittney was a member of the gold-medal winning American women's basketball teams in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
2. Why is Brittney in a Russian jail?
   Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia on drug charges in February and sentenced by a Russian court to nine years of imprisonment. Her supporters and fans in America, however, feel that the basketball star is not guilty and vow to fight to free her.