via Getty
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
via Getty
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
The Brittney Griner Russian detention fiasco is set to make a major turn in a few days. The Phoenix Mercury center has been detained in Russia after vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil were found in her luggage at a Moscow Airport in February. After being detained for months, the eight-time WNBA All-Star was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court under drug possession and smuggling charges. Recently, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert shared a troubling opinion about Griner’s fate just seven days before her appeal hearing scheduled for October 25.?
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The WNBA commissioner talked about Griner’s situation during a recent interview with Yahoo Finance. Engelbert claimed that BG had been wrongfully detained in Russia. She revealed that Brittney Griner wrote her a letter recently.
The 2014 WNBA champ is allowed to communicate through handwritten letters which go through the Russian government and are delivered by her lawyers.
WNBA Commissioner’s take on the Brittney Griner appeal hearing
Engelbert stated that she had been writing to Griner periodically throughout the year. She reckoned that Griner was facing an unimaginable situation, taking an immense mental toll on her. Further, Engelbert continued, She’s got an appeal coming up on October 25th, which you know we are pretty sure, we know that the legal process there is not going to yield anything favorable to Brittney.”
"She wrote me a letter," @WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says on Brittney Griner's Russian detention. "This is just an unimaginable situation. … [The Biden Administration's] trying everything they can do to get a deal done." pic.twitter.com/zesxTRBd8S
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) October 17, 2022
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Hence, the WNBA commission has been discussing the matter with the State Department, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and the Biden administration. Cathy Engelbert assured that the American government was trying everything to get BG home safely and as soon as possible. Moreover, the WNBA, Griner’s wife Cherelle, her family, and friends have launched a social campaign. The #WeAreBG campaign is launched on Griner’s 32nd birthday to remind her that she had not been forgotten.?
Griner could end up in a Russian penal colony
Brittney Griner lives in the fear of being forced to work in labor camps. It is believed that her appeal hearing might not bear any fruitful results. Griner is likely to be shifted to Russia’s infamous penal colonies after the hearing. In addition, she could be forced to work in labor camps during her sentence.
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Watch This Story: WNBA star Brittney Griner?s saga in Russia: The entire timeline
Thus, the situation is getting trickier for Griner. She is dealing with the most emotional phase of her life all alone in a foreign country. The Biden Administration is trying to work out a prisoner swap deal with the Russian government. But unfortunately, BG is starting to lose hope of attaining her freedom anytime soon.
