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WNBA star Brittney Griner sent a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden seeking assistance with her detainment in Russia and asking him not to forget about her.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner said, according to the letter obtained by ABC News.
“I realize you are dealing with so much,” she continued. “But please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.”
On Feb. 17, the 31-year-old star was detained at a Russian airport after being accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
“It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate [the Fourth of July] because freedom means something completely different to me this year,” she wrote.
Griner appeared in person in a courtroom in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow, on the first day of her trial last Friday. Her detention was extended to Dec. 20.
Speaking to Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts in May, Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, called for the Biden administration to act. “I just keep hearing that he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So, if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
“I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore,” Griner said in the letter. “I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
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