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Russia Is Wrongfully Detaining Brittney Griner: White House
Posted
July 7, 2022
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July 7, 2022
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0:54Now PlayingThe White House says WNBA star, Brittney Griner, was wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances.
That's according to John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for strategic communications
Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession during her trial in Moscow but said she had no intention of committing a crime.
Russian news reports quoted Griner as saying through an interpreter at the court hearing that she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste.
Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.
Griner is just one American detained in Russia. Kirby spoke about Paul Whelan and said the U.S. government is in constant contact with Whelan's family about his case.
Griner's trial began last week amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest.
Before Thursday’s hearing, Russian police escorted Griner, handcuffed and clad in a bright red T-shirt and sports trousers, into the courtroom past a crowd of journalists.
The White House said Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her that he’s doing all he can to obtain the athlete’s release, as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home.
Paul Whelan was arrested in Russia in December 2018 and accused of spying. In June 2020, he was sentenced to 16-years in prison.
Kirby says the administration frequently talks to Whelan's sister about efforts to bring Paul home.
The White House has also faced criticism from the family of Paul Whelan, another U.S. citizen who has been held in Russia since his arrest in December 2018, about what they see as inconsistent treatment of Americans held hostage abroad.
Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, has been particularly vocal, saying in a CNN interview Wednesday that she questions why some families of hostages receive personal outreach from the president while others don't.
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