WNBA star Brittney Griner remains in detention after nearly 100 days, and her wife is making a desperate plea for the Biden administration to take her case more seriously.
Cherelle Griner sat down with Good Morning America for her first interview since her wife was detained by Russian authorities earlier this year; the WNBA star is accused of bringing THC-infused vape cartridges into the country, where they are banned.
In her interview, she called on President Joe Biden to make any concessions necessary to bring Ms Griner home.
Of the president, she said: “He has that power. You know, I'm just like, "Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it...We're expecting him to use his power to get it done.”
She confirmed that she wanted to meet with the president, adding: “I just keep hearing that he has the power, she's a political pawn, so if they're holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
Ms Griner was allegedly detained while attempting to leave Russia with a bag of vape cartridges containing a derisive of cannabis oil.
While the cartridges are legal in most parts of the world, they are banned in Russia under “part 2 of Article 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (drug smuggling)”, the statement added.
She faces up to 10 years in prison in Russia, and appeared in court earlier this month for a hearing on whether or not her detention will be extended. The US State Department has said the basketball star was “wrongfully detained”.
“The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is among the highest priorities of the US government,” a State Department official previously told The Independent.
Ms Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas told ESPN that she expects the White House to do everything it can to secure the release of the basketball star.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” she said in a statement.
