Joe Biden-led US administration secured the release of Brittney Griner in December 2022. The WNBA superstar was detained in Russia for ten months after being caught with vape cartridges containing marijuana. It wasn’t every day that the sporting world witnessed such a high-profile athlete experience such a thing.
Numerous famous personalities came in front to speak in support of Brittney, including the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. After Brittney claimed that she didn’t know marijuana was illegal in Russia, it didn’t take too long for the US to declare that she was wrongfully detained.
The Joe Biden administration traded Russian prisoner Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer, for Brittney. The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This didn’t sit too well with Americans, who questioned the government’s decision as they believed ex-US marine Paul Whelan‘s release should have been secured as well.
Ever since Brittney walked free, she has been raising awareness about wrongfully detained Americans as well. She has mentioned that she will advocate for Whelan’s release. The former US marine official is not the only one, however. The Phoenix Mercury star has helped to raise awareness about another American who is detained in Russia; Evan Gershkovich.
What happened to Evan Gershkovich?
Evan Gershkovich is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who primarily covered Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union. In March 2023, Russian officials arrested Evan as the country’s government claimed he was attempting to gather classified information. He was then charged with espionage.
Earlier this month, Evan’s legal team made a bail offer of $614,000 to the Russian government. However, the offer was rejected, as well as the offer to place Evan on house arrest, as per BBC. Multiple sources claim that he would continue to be in an old KGB prison until May 29.
Brittney has used her platform to advocate for Evan’s release as well. She, along with her wife Cherelle, made a post on Instagram about Evan’s detainment.
Brittney and Cherelle wrote, “Our hearts are filled with great concern for Evan Gershkovitch and his family since Evan’s detainment in Russia. We must do everything in our power to bring him and all Americans home. We are grateful for President Biden and his administration’s deep commitment to rescue Americans.”
View this post on Instagram
“Every American who is taken is ours to fight for and every American returned is a win for us all,” the statement also mentioned. The Griners are continuing to advocate for their release by raising awareness. In addition to this, Brittney also spoke about Evan and Paul Whelan during one of her press conferences recently.
It certainly looks like the Griners will fight hard to secure the release of Americans who are detained overseas. However, only time will tell us if their efforts pay off eventually.