Less than a week ago, Brittney Griner was reunited with her family. After having been detained in Russia, she finally broke her silence and wrote an extensive post on Instagram. She acknowledged the efforts of the U.S Administration and of the public who tirelessly worked to gain her freedom. In her post, she confirmed that she too would advocate for people who were wrongfully detained.

True to her word, WNBA star, the Phoenix Mercury star has requested the public to write letters to Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine who was also serving a sentence in Russia. She captioned the post, “Your words matter“.

Griner inspires her followers to put ink on paper

Brittney Griner credited the letters she received, for reaffirming hope. She penned down a letter herself to show her appreciation towards her letter-writers and said that the words helped her in the face of adversity.

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“They showed me the power of collective hands. Together, we can do hard things. I’m living proof of that“, she wrote. Griner said that due to the efforts made by her supporters, her family was fortunate to be together. “However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained“, she added.

She gave a shoutout to the ‘We are BG’ campaign that helped bring her to U.S. soil. Brittney Griner wanted others to join her in writing letters to Paul Whelan and other Americans who had to be “rescued and returned to their families“.

Why is Brittney Griner advocating for Paul Whelan?

Brittney Griner was released from her penal colony after nearly 10 months in Russia, while Paul Whelan will complete 4 years behind bars. The former U.S. Marine was charged with espionage and was arrested by the Russian authorities. Griner, on the other hand, was imprisoned on the counts of alleged drug possession.

President Joe Biden responded to the backlash he received with only Griner’s release. “Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded at securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”

In her first post back, Brittney Griner also wrote, “President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too.” She continued to say that she would lend her platform for the same.

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Her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas also said that Brittney Griner was committed to seeing this through.