Brittney Griner, who had been detained in Russia for over a year on drug charges, called on her fans to focus their advocacy on Paul Whelan two weeks after her release. Whelan’s arrest during the trip in December 2018 for espionage charges, which federal officials called false, and which both Whelan and his legal defense team said amounted to an attempt to frame him, has kept him imprisoned in Russia. His conviction two summers later led to a 16-year prison sentence. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Griner asked followers and those involved in the WeAreBG Campaign to write letters to Whelan and “advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families. “Thanks to the efforts to many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months,” she wrote.
“You took time to show me you cared and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered. Your letters helped me to not lose hope during a time where I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined.” As a result of the public’s ongoing support, the athlete said she “never lost hope” while imprisoned. “Your letters were also bigger than uplifting me. They showed me the power of collective hands. Together, we can do hard things. I’m living proof of that,” Griner continued, adding, “My family’s whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together. “However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained,” she said.
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“Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG Campaign to bring me home and it’s our turn to support them. I hope you’ll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families.” Griner captioned the post with a succinct, “Thank you. Your words matter.” The WNBA star took to Instagram on Dec. 16 to break her silence on her return to the United States. Griner said the past 10 months “have been a battle at every turn.” This past February, Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for possessing cannabis oil-containing vape cartridges in a Moscow airport. They are illegal in Russia and were found in the WNBA player’s travel bag. As a result of the prisoner swap, Griner was released by the U.S. in exchange for the release of the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout back to Russia.
