After her appeal against the nine-year prison sentence was denied last week, Brittney Griner’s wife claimed she was not adjusting well in jail and encouraged the public to write to her.
The WNBA star is now serving a jail sentence in Russia after pleading guilty to drug use, and her wife Cherelle is heartbroken by the news.
For having two vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her baggage at Sheremetyevo airport, Brittney, 32, was jailed earlier this autumn.
She had been playing basketball in Russia, where players are paid more, to augment her WNBA off-season income.
Cherelle gave an impassioned address to the audience of Glamour’s 2022 Women of the Year Ceremony in New York. Cherelle is anxious to get back together with her wife.
Women of the Year Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Shannon Watts, and the Haim sisters were among those there.
I’ve spent the past eight months riding waves of sadness and, to be quite honest, simply pure disbelief, the woman stated.
“I can’t believe I’m standing here without my favorite person, my greatest love, my refuge,” the speaker says.
Griner is anticipated to complete the remainder of her sentence at a notoriously brutal Russian prison colony work camp.
The American government and human rights organizations are only two of the many groups attempting to bring the 32-year-old home.
In her address at the Glamour Awards, her loving wife further said that while Brittney is strong, she is “100% not alright.”
She emphasized that she cannot bring her wife back and that there is nothing she can do to lessen the suffering she is experiencing.
However, she said that she is utilizing the power of words to change things by urging visitors and watchers to send her letters of support.
Use the hashtag #WeAreBG or visit weareBG.org if you want to send her a message.
She recently sent her wife a message in which she stated: “Babe, I’m missing everything about you.” in particular, your friendship. I took having a conversation with you for granted. I find myself reaching for my phone, just to put it down again because I want to hear only you.
“Once you go home, I’ll probably chat incessantly to you,” I said.
“I am aware that you are suffering right now, baby. To experience the love that is all around you, I wish you were here. You won’t be overlooked. So, champ, keep your head up. This will also pass. I adore you, and I can’t wait till I can give you a big hug! Regards, Relle.
Brittney went to Russia to earn some additional cash during the WNBA off-season.
Since they earn more money there than in the US, comrades Jonquel James and Diana Taurasi also played there.
Cherelle gave an impassioned address after claiming that the nine-year jail term seemed “political” and that the Russian court’s decision to reject the WNBA star’s appeal had left her in “total shock.”
Just a few days after her wife’s severe sentence was affirmed in a Russian court, Cherelle made an appearance on Tuesday’s edition of The View.
She called the penalty given to her wife “absurd” and “disproportionate” in light of other crimes and penalties in the nation.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury star was found guilty of narcotics possession in August when Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow police allegedly discovered vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her baggage.
Griner is anticipated to complete the remainder of her sentence at a notoriously brutal Russian prison colony work camp.
Tuesday, Cherelle said to the co-hosts, “I feel like this – at this point – has to be political to see that the whole of the circumstances of who she is as a person was not taken into consideration when they delivered a judgement.”
It’s not her print, I said. Her influence is remarkable for Russia. There, she pays taxes,’ she said. She’s fantastic for Russia,
Griner appeared via video connection from a prison colony outside the city even though she was not present at the hearing at the Moscow Regional Court.
Griner’s attorneys contended that the penalty was harsh after the conviction since the nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years. According to them, offenders in situations like these got an average sentence of five years, with approximately a third of them being given parole.
Being in the legal profession, I realize that every state and nation has its own laws, but this is preposterous, Cherelle added.
The disparity between the offense and the punishment is at its best. I find it incomprehensible that there are murderers in Russia who were given sentences much less severe than B.G.
“That was the end of it completely.” From a legal perspective, there is nothing more to be anticipated; all that remains to be done is for America and our government to realize the significance of this matter.
This could happen to anybody, therefore we should hope that we have a nation that understands how important that is and is prepared to go grab our Americans and bring them home.
Since her detention in February, Cherelle claimed to have only talked to her wife a handful of times, and she claimed that Griner’s mental condition has deteriorated.
She admitted to the hosts, “Trying to modify how to live every day has been incredibly challenging.”
From a legal perspective, “there’s nothing more to anticipate,” she added. But he also said that by participating in the letter-writing effort, people may help Griner.
She said that she would continue to hold out hope that her wife’s personality would somehow help to keep her safe within the Russian work camp.
She said, “If you met BG, it would be difficult not to adore her.”
Griner confessed carrying the canisters in her suitcase during her trial in August, but she claimed she packed them accidentally in her rush to catch her trip and didn’t have any malicious purpose. Written documents from her defense team indicated that she had been given a cannabis prescription to relieve severe pain.
The court last week said that while maintaining the sentence, Griner’s jail term would be revised to account for the time she has already spent in pre-trial incarceration. She will still have to spend roughly eight years in prison since one day of pre-trial custody will be regarded as 1 1/2 days in jail.
Griner’s attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov expressed their disappointment with the verdict in an email, stating that they continue to think “the sentence is harsh and contradictory to the prevailing court practice.”
Their statement said, “Brittney’s greatest concern is that she is not swapped and will have to complete the whole of her term in Russia.” She had aspirations for today since she cares about every month and every day she spends apart from her loved ones.
They said they needed to talk about their future course of action in court with Griner.
In February, just days before Russia moved soldiers into Ukraine, there were rising tensions between Moscow and Washington. During the WNBA summer, Griner was going back to play for a Russian club at the moment.
U.S. The decision, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “complicates the unfairness of her incarceration” and is “another failure of justice.” He also said that “securing her release is our goal.”
According to President Joe Biden, his administration is in “continuous touch” with the Russian government over Griner and other Americans who are being held there. Biden said, “We’re not stopping,” despite the fact that there has been no movement in getting her back to the United States.
Before she was found guilty, the U.S. Griner was “wrongfully held,” according to the State Department, a claim that Russia has vehemently denied.
U.S. Biden “is ready to go to tremendous lengths and make difficult choices to bring Americans home,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
While regrettable, the decision, according to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, “was not anticipated.” … The WNBA Players Association said that the decision was “additional affirmation that BG is not simply unfairly jailed — she is very definitely a hostage.” It is time to put an end to this issue and get BG home.
Blinken took the unusual step of disclosing in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage, in response to mounting pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home.
Blinken didn’t go into further detail, but according to The Associated Press and other news agencies, Washington has offered to swap Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in the United States and was once known as the “merchant of death,” in exchange for Griner and Whelan.
The White House said that Russia has not yet responded to its offer in a useful manner.
Russian officials have declined to respond to the American request and encouraged Washington to have private discussions in order to avoid making public pronouncements. However, some Russian officials have said that once all appeals have been made, an agreement is more feasible.
The player’s wife Cherelle Griner and her agent Lindsay Colas met with Biden in September. The sister of Paul Whelan, Elizabeth Whelan, and Biden also took a seat apart.
The president emphasized to the families his “continuing commitment to working through all possible means to bring Brittney and Paul home safely,” the White House stated after the discussions.
In April, a prisoner exchange was carried out between the US and Russia. Moscow freed Americans. Veteran Marine Trevor Reed was exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been convicted of involvement in a narcotics conspiracy, by the United States.