U.S. State Department officials met Monday with Brittney Griner’s WNBA team, Phoenix Mercury, to discuss the state of Griner’s detention for a few months in Russia and the efforts made to secure it. ne the release.
Griner, one of the WNBA’s most recognizable stars, has been detained in Russia since February 17 after customs officials accused him of carrying hashish oil in his luggage at an airport near Moscow.
In May, the State Department said it determined Griner had been “arrested by mistake.”
“It’s something we’ve all talked about intimately as a group, and now we know the State Department at the highest level, from U.S. President Joe Biden to the team working to bring all the North “Americans who are being unjustly detained give us a lot of confidence that they are working there,” said Diana Taurasi, Mercury’s star guard, in a statement. “Anything we can do on our part to amplify and put BG first will be our number one priority.”
The meeting included representatives of the State Department, including the Office of the Presidential Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, according to a department spokesman. Mercury members then spoke with representatives Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona, and Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas. In May, Stanton, Jackson Lee, and Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat from Texas, introduced a resolution calling for Griner’s release.
The Mercury are in Washington to play the Mystics on Tuesday.
Mercury striker Brianna Turner said officials encouraged the team to continue talking publicly about Griner.
“We were encouraged to continue pronouncing his name, to continue to hold them responsible for bringing BG home as soon as possible,” Turner said in a statement.
Griner was returning to Russia to play for UMC Yekaterinburg, a professional women’s basketball team, when she was arrested. Many WNBA players supplement their income during the low season of the league by playing internationally, where top athletes can earn around $ 1 million in salaries.
Drug charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if Griner is convicted in Russia.
Initially, Griner’s supporters spoke little about the arrest, fearing that his situation would become part of the biggest global conflict involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US’s strained relationship with Russia.
That strategy changed after the State Department declared that Griner had been “arrested by mistake” days after Russia traded Trevor R. Reed, a former U.S. Marine who had been sentenced to nine years in prison for assault. an exchange of prisoners.
Reed’s release raised hopes for the release of Griner and Paul N. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who was sentenced in Russia to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.
What you need to know about Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia
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Why was he in Russia? Griner was in Russia playing for an international team during the low season of the WNBA. The break for competition abroad is common among league players for many reasons, but often the biggest motivation is money.
Does this have anything to do with Ukraine? Griner’s arrest comes during a heated confrontation between Russia and the United States over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it is not yet clear whether Russia could have targeted Griner as a lever against the United States.
How is the United States dealing with the situation? In March, U.S. officials were finally able to see Griner and said he was fine. Weeks later, the State Department later said it had determined she was “detained by mistake,” adding that an interagency team would work to release her.
In May, Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner appeared on “Good Morning America” and called on President Biden to intervene.
“I just keep hearing that he has the power,” Cherelle Griner said. “He’s a political pawn. If they catch him because they want you to do something, I want you to do it.”
Supporters of Brittney Griner have continued to voice support for her release. Many WNBA players have worn T-shirts and hoodies in support of Griner, and their initials are shown on the courts of the 12 WNBA teams.
Penny Taylor, Taurasi’s wife and one of Griner’s former teammates, used her induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame last week to demand Griner’s release.
“BG is our family,” Taylor said. “She is yours too. The whole world sports community must unite to insist that she be a priority.”