Brittney Griner Advocates for Americans Detained Abroad on Anniversary of Her Release

The WNBA star, released from Russian prison a year ago, urges support for those like Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich who remain detained.

Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, marked the one-year anniversary of her release from a Russian prison by advocating for the release of other Americans wrongly detained abroad.
Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, released a holiday message urging people to remember those still detained, including Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich in Russia, and several Americans in Venezuela.
Griner was arrested in Russia in February 2022 for carrying a vape cartridge with less than a gram of cannabis-derived oil, a drug illegal in Russia. She was released in December 2022 after intense negotiations by the Biden administration.
Griner's release was secured in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, but the Russian government has rejected other American overtures for prisoner exchanges.
Griner is working on a memoir about her detention and has stated she won't play overseas again unless it's in the Olympics.