Woman says WNBA star Brittney Griner swore to her in letters from Russian prison: “I won’t let them break me.” until OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
Distraught, handcuffed and on her way to the fight of her life, WNBA star Brittney Griner was last seen on Monday while on trial in a Russian courtroom. As she walked past news cameras, a reporter asked her how she was doing. The American just shook her head.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist and center for the Phoenix Mercury was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport, just a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
She has been charged with smuggling and transporting cannabis after authorities found vaping cartridges in her luggage allegedly containing hash oil.
TOPSHOT – American WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives at a hearing at the Khimki court, outside Moscow, on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage, which could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
Griner’s wife Cherelle told Pastor Al Sharpton on his radio show that she hasn’t heard her voice since, but shared that Griner has let her know through letters that she is “struggling and terrified.”
“I won’t let them break me,” Griner said in the letters, according to Cherelle. “I know they’re trying, but I’m going to do my best to hold on until I can get home.”
“I hope it’s soon,” Cherelle said, “because I’m not well.”
Russia expert Jeff Hawn told CBS News that Russia is, in fact, holding Griner “hostage.”
“It’s very clear that they didn’t have to bring the seriousness of the charges as they did,” he told D’Agata. “They chose to do that to get the attention of the US and threaten it with the worst possible outcome.”
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Russian media has speculated that Griner could be used as a bargaining chip in a possible prisoner swap for infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The so-called “Merchant of Death” is currently serving a 25-year sentence in the US for conspiracy to kill Americans and aid a terrorist organization.
Griner supporters held a vigil outside the Russian consulate in New York this week, praying that Moscow and Washington could find an agreement to bring Griner back home.
A conviction is not expected when the trial resumes on Friday. However, if eventually convicted, Griner could face 10 years in prison.
The prospects of acquittal are bleak: Russian prosecutors have a 99% success rate.
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