NFL
By: Zachary Draves
On Thursday, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner officially pled guilty to a Russian court on charges of drug trafficking. Since February 17, she has been detained in Russia for allegedly smuggling cannabis oil which could lead to a prison sentence of 10 years. Her trial started on July 1 and is expected back in court on July 14.
All this comes at a time when the movement to free her is growing exponentially and has been making considerable progress since the State Department officially declared her as “wrongfully detained” back in May.
Throughout the WNBA season, players and coaches have consistently shined a light on her case. They have worn t-shirts, utilized social media, and donned her initials and number on each of their respective courts.
In June, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for her release. On Tuesday, over 1,200 prominent black women published an open letter in the Washington Post calling on the Biden Administration to take action. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had a phone call with Brittney’s wife Cherelle, after they received a handwritten letter from Brittney herself on Monday in which she is pleading for her freedom.
Now that she has pleaded guilty, what’s next?
According to some experts, this was the best chance for Brittney to be in a position for a possible prisoner exchange. The biggest name being floated around for such an exchange is notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death”, who is currently a 25 year federal prison sentence for selling arms to Colombian rebels in 2012 that prosecutors argued were intended to kill Americans. Russia has been calling for his release since and supporters for Brittney are arguing that this is the appropriate deal for her to come home.
Among her staunchest supporters has been Victoria York, Deputy Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, the leading African American LGBTQ+ rights organization in the US. They have regularly communicated with the State Department to advocate for Brittney’s release. She shared with NBS the discrepancy between what Russian media has been saying and how the law categorizes her offense.
“The problem remains that Russia has been treating and talking about Brittney Griner’s case as if she committed a criminal offense,” she said. “Russian media have said since March that she faces up to 10 years in jail. Possessing 0.7g of hash oil is an administrative offense in Russia. All she should be facing is a fine.”
She also acknowledged the realization of what this whole ordeal was about in the beginning.
“Hopefully this changes & BG can go home with a fine of a few hundred dollars or time served in lieu of 15 days of detainment since she has already spent four months imprisoned,” she said. “If BG is unable to leave after the trial ends with the charges waived, then (Vladimir) Putin has been lying and the case is exactly what we’ve said it is: politically motivated.”
Along with NBJC, the Rev. Al Sharpton has now offered his services. The founder and president of the National Action Network and MSNBC host called on the Administration to arrange a visit with Brittney. He hopes to organize other religious leaders to check in on her mental, physical, and spiritual state which one can imagine is fragile at this point. He has spoken to Cherelle and Brittney’s father and had Cherelle on as a guest on his radio show “Keepin It Real with Al Sharpton” last week.
The WNBA All-Star Game takes place this Sunday in Chicago. Brittney will be acknowledged as an honorary all-star.
The pressure continues to mount. The relentlessness is palpable. The urgency is high. The emotions are raw. After 140 days, it needs to be said until action is taken.
#FreeBrittneyGriner.
