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Doug Feinberg
Britney Greener appealed to President Joe Byden in a letter given to the White House through her representative. She asked him, "Remember me and other American detainees."
Griner's agent Lindsay KagawaColas said the letter was delivered on Monday. Although Grinner's representative shared a few lines from a handwritten note, most of the content of the letter to President Byden remains private.
â € ³ â € ¦ When I'm sitting here in a Russian prison, in my opinion alone, without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or achievements, I might be scared Not here forever, "Grinner wrote.
"On July 4, our family usually served the people who fought for our freedom, including my father, a veteran of the Vietnam War. "I praise you," added the Phoenix Mercury Center. "It's hard to think about how I always celebrate this day, as this year means something completely different from freedom."
The two Olympic Gold Medalists are the Russian team. He is in the middle of a trial in Russia that began last week after being arrested on February 17 for possessing cannabis oil when he returned to play for. The trial will resume on Thursday.
Less than 1% of Russian criminal cases are innocent, and unlike US courts, innocence can be overturned.
In a letter, Greener begged Byden to use his power to ensure her return.
"Do everything you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and voted for you. Trust you. I'm still involved with my freedom and I can help you recover, "Grinner said. I want to meet my family! I miss my teammates! Knowing that they are suffering so much now kills me. I'm grateful for whatever you can do at this point to take me home.
Greener was able to sporadically communicate with his family, friends and WNBA players through an email account set up by the agent. The e-mail will be scrutinized by Russian officials, then printed and collectively delivered to Greener by her lawyer. When her lawyer returns to the office, she scans the response from Griner and sends it back to the United States.
She was supposed to call her wife on her anniversary, but she failed because of an "unfortunate mistake," Biden's administration said. Officials said.
Greener supporters, like April, brought home veteran Marine Reed, in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of a drug trafficking plot. Encouraged the exchange of prisoners. In May, the State Department designated her as illegally detained and moved her case under the supervision of a special presidential envoy on hostage issues, effectively the government's head of hostage negotiations.
Greener is not the only American illegally detained in Russia. Former Marine Corps and Security Director Paul Welan have been sentenced to 16 years in prison for spying.
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