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PALMETTO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Watson after defeating the Dallas Wings at Feld Entertainment Center on August 10, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida.(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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PALMETTO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Watson after defeating the Dallas Wings at Feld Entertainment Center on August 10, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida.(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Months have flown by, however, Brittney Griner still remains in Russian detention. While the probability of the 31-year-old’s release seems to be dangling by a thread, her family is concerned and has been wallowing in despair.
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Two months after a Russian court sentenced the WNBA star to nine years behind bars, her wife, Cherelle Griner, finally broke her silence. In a sneak peek of her forthcoming ‘CBS Mornings’ interview with Gayle King, she expressed her fear that she might never see her wife again. Talking about Griner’s situation in Russia, she remarked that she feels like her wife is being held “hostage” overseas.
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“As much as everybody’s telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she’s a hostage,” Cherelle said. She then stated that she is terrified because similar situations in movies do not end well.
She then underlined how confused she is. Cherelle stated how she shivers with dread as she fears she might never see her wife again. “This is my life and so I’m sitting there like, do we get her back? Do I ever get to see my wife again?,” Cherelle stated. She went on to highlight how Griner’s situation is unprecedented and changing, and how it terrifies her since she hears something new every day.
READ MORE: Big News on Brittney Griner Expected in 20 Days
Talking to Good Morning America in May, she revealed the terrifying 2 A.M text she received from her wife when she was detained.
"Every single day matters … to make sure that she comes back."
Cherelle Griner, the wife of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who has been detained in a Russian prison for nearly 100 days, speaks to @robinroberts about the fight to bring her home. https://t.co/A7bpCs5jQp pic.twitter.com/Yv8GFk5hfW
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 25, 2022
“She started texting me around 2 a.m. that morning,” Cherelle stated. “‘Babe, babe, babe, wake up, they have me in this room. I don?t know what?s going on,'”?she?recounted the text. She then revealed that Griner texted that the customs people had detained her and taken her into a room.
Brittney Griner will get a chance to appeal against her prison sentence on October 25th
Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence is scheduled for October 25, a Russian court said. She was detained in mid-February when Russian authorities found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bag at a Moscow airport. The WNBA star was found guilty and sentenced in early August.
Joe Biden’s administration has been under immense pressure to bring Griner back to home soil. The President met Cherelle Griner and Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of another US prisoner in Russia, Paul Whelan. He provided both much-needed optimism and outlined his continued commitment to bringing them back.
I had a chance to meet with Elizabeth Whelan and Cherelle Griner to keep them apprised of where we are in negotiations with Russia. My Administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Paul and Brittney home as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/B7dGiaDF7U
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 18, 2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the US has made a “substantial” prisoner exchange offer to Russia. They allegedly proposed to trade Griner and Whelan for Victor Bout, a Russian arms dealer.
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Russian diplomats, however, cautioned the US government to keep the prisoner swap confidential. They warned them not to participate in “megaphone diplomacy,” as this may lead to the termination of negotiations.
Written by
Edited by
Pritam Priyedarshi