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“Wrongfully detained” is one of those bureaucratic phrases that doesn’t really come close to capturing the situation it is used to describe. Wrongfully detained Americans abroad, like basketball star Brittney Griner, could often be more accurately described as hostages — imprisoned and held as political pawns in unjust and inhumane scenarios.
Griner recently spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison, more than 240 days after being arrested there on drug possession charges for allegedly carrying vape cartridges in her luggage that contained cannabis oil. She pleaded guiltily this summer as part of a speedy and questionable trial, and was sentenced to an equally questionable nine years in prison.
Given the timing of Griner’s detention, amid the high tension surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there has never been much doubt that this goes beyond cannabis oil in luggage. Griner’s wife has accurately described her as a “political pawn.”
As Griner awaits an appeal, and as the White House says it is working to secure her release, prominent voices rightly continue to make sure that her case and her plight receive attention.
A previous wave of public pressure, including deserved criticism of President Joe Biden for not better engaging with Griner’s family sooner, was followed by eventual meetings with both Griner’s family and the family of Paul Whelan, another wrongfully detained American who has been in Russian prison for several years after being accused of espionage and sentenced to 16 years. U.S. officials then offered a prisoner exchange to Russian officials, looking to swap Griner and Whelan for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Russia has appeared to be in no rush to get any such deal done, however.
Biden recently said he has no interest in meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G-20 summit unless it is to discuss Griner’s release. Until that release is won, it falls to the public to keep pressure on the Biden administration. We certainly can’t control the priorities and actions of an authoritarian country half the world away, and we understand that ending Russia’s war against Ukraine remains a diplomatic priority, but we can demand continued effort from our own government to bring Griner, Whalen and others home.
As another basketball season begins, prominent players are helping to make sure Griner stays front and center in our minds.
“Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32. We want to continue to let her name be known, and we pray,” Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry said Tuesday night, in the midst of an opening night ceremony celebrating the team’s championship win last year. “It’s been 243 days since she was wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”
“Free our sister Brittney Griner, please. Please, POTUS, do your job,” Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving said, including a reference to Biden. “Everybody do your job. Please bring our sister home.”
Along with keeping pressure on U.S. officials, this kind of attention can also help Griner through her harsh conditions in Russia
“Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me,” Griner said in a statement through her agent.
That help is uplifting, but it is not enough. President Joe Biden and his administration must be relentless in their efforts to bring these wrongly detained Americans like Griner and Whalen, who are more like hostages, back home where they belong.
