Enlarge image
Brittney Griner (right) at a court hearing in Khimki near Moscow
Photo: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / REUTERS
US basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been imprisoned in Russia since February, wrote to US President Joe Biden for her release.
Various media, including ESPN and CNN, quoted from the 31-year-old's letter.
“I'm afraid I'll have to stay here forever.
Please don't forget me," says the published excerpt.
On Independence Day in the United States, it hurts Griner when she thinks about how "I usually celebrate this day, because freedom means something completely different to me this year." In the letter, Griner emphasized how much she misses her family and showed herself grateful for any support.
A representative for the basketball player said they would not release the entire letter or detail how it got to the White House from Griner's prison cell outside Moscow.
Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17.
She is accused of having vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
She faces a sentence of up to ten years in prison.
Most recently, the detention had already been extended until July 2 (Saturday), now it lasts at least until the end of the process.
According to the US State Department, the basketball star is being held in Russian custody for no reason.
Most recently, the players of the US professional league WNBA had called for Griner's release.
Russian media report talks about an exchange
According to ESPN, her family and supporters have recently tried to increase pressure on the White House and the US State Department.
Russian state media had reported that there were talks of replacing Griner with a Russian named Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence on terrorism financing charges.
Griner became a 2014 champion with Phoenix Mercury and won two Olympic gold medals.
Since 2015 she played in the WNBA break in Russia at UMMC Yekaterinburg.
mfu/sid