Basketball player Brittney Griner asked President Joe Biden for help in a letter her representatives sent to the White House, saying she fears she may never come home and asking that they not “forget about her and the other Americans in detention.”
Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said the letter was delivered Monday. Most of the content of the letter to Biden remains private, though Griner’s representatives did share some portions of the handwritten note.
“While I am here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, my Olympic jersey or any of my achievements, I am terrified that I might stay here forever,” Griner wrote.
“On the 4th of July, our family often pays tribute to the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a veteran of the Vietnam War,” said the Phoenix Mercury player. “It hurts to think about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
The double Olympic champion is in the middle of a trial that began last week, after she was arrested on February 17, accused of possession of cannabis oil when she returned to play with her Russian team. The trial will resume on Thursday.
Just under 1% of defendants in criminal cases are acquitted in Russia, and unlike US courts, acquittals can be overturned.
“Please do everything you can to bring us back home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. There is still so much good I can do with my freedom that you can help restore,” Griner said.
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