American basketball player Brittney Griner sent a letter to President Joe Biden which was delivered by his representatives to the White House on Monday, in which she stated that she feared that she would never be able to return home and asked him to “not to forget me or the other American nationals imprisoned there”.
Posted at 6:19 p.m.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said the letter was delivered on Monday. The bulk of the letter sent to President Biden remained confidential, although Griner representatives shared a few lines from the handwritten note.
” […] And while I languish here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, my family, my friends, my Olympic singlet, or my exploits, I am terrified of having to languish here for eternity,” Griner wrote.
“On July 4, our family usually honors the memory of those who fought for our freedom, including my father, a Vietnam War veteran,” said the star player. It saddens me to think about how I usually celebrate this holiday, because freedom has a completely different meaning to me this year. »
The double Olympic gold medalist is currently the subject of a trial that began last week in Russia, following her arrest on February 17. She is accused of possession of cannabis oil, while returning to the country of President Vladimir Putin to join his Russian team. The trial will resume on Thursday.
Less than 1% of defendants in criminal cases in Russia are acquitted, and unlike US courts, not-guilty verdicts can be overturned.