Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the Brittney Griner news.
The WNBA star has been detained in a Russian jail for a little over three weeks now, and it wasn’t until a few days ago that anyone knew about it. She’s reportedly being detained on drug charges after she was carrying vape cartridges that had hashish oil in them.
As mentioned, the arrest happened a few weeks ago in February, and Griner being in jail has been the only update given. According to CNN, a US House Armed Services Committee member says it will be very difficult to get Griner out saying.
“Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment,” Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California told CNN on Monday.
“Perhaps during the various negotiations that may take place, she might be able to be one of the solutions. I don’t know.”
He also noted that “Russia has some very, very strict LGBT rules and laws” – though it’s not clear whether those rules and laws might impact Griner’s case.
But the Biden administration is working on trying to get Griner out of Russia, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said after meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday.
“The best news we got today was that they know about it and that she’s on the agenda,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Griner’s hometown of Houston, Texas, told reporters.
Noting a potential 10-year-sentence for Griner, Jackson Lee added: “We know about Britney Griner, and we know that we have to move on her situation.”
Hopefully, she gets out soon, but the fact they don’t exactly know where she is being held or her current condition is a bit disturbing. You would hope that Putin wouldn’t torture a high-profile US citizen who knows nothing of value to him, but you can’t rule it out.
Flip the page for the video of Griner being arrested by the Russians.
