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A group of Republican and Democrat senators have joined their names to the fight to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home as Russia has snapped back at American claims that she is “wrongfully detained.”
Democrat Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema penned a resolution calling for the immediate release of Griner, who plays for the state’s Phoenix Mercury WNBA team.
In a press release on the resolution the senators again call her “wrongfully detained,” which is a phrase that has ruffled the feathers of the Russian government.
“I’ve worked with the State Department to make sure that Brittney Griner’s safe return is a top priority, and this bipartisan resolution shows the Senate’s support for her as well. Brittney Griner is an inspiration to Arizonans and Americans across the country. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her and seeing her talent on the court up close. The Russian government unjustly detained Brittney and we will keep working with the administration to ensure her safe and swift return,” Senator Kelly said.
“Arizonans have love and admiration for Brittney Griner both on and off the court. The Department of State has determined that Brittney was wrongfully detained – it’s past time for her to come home,” Senator Sinema said.
The press release went on to call for Russia to free Griner and other prisoners.
“Brittney Griner, a citizen of the United States and Women’s National Basketball Association player for the Phoenix Mercury, was wrongfully detained by the Government of the Russian Federation on February 17, 2022,” it said.
“Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan resolution calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately release Griner and urges the United States to continuously press for Griner’s release in all interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation. The resolution goes on to acknowledge Griner’s renowned leadership in the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as her continued efforts to provide resources for those experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area,” the press release said.
“Additionally, the resolution expresses continued support for United States citizen and former Marine Paul Whelan and all prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation,” it said.
The resolution was cosponsored by 27 other senators which included Republican Sen. Ted Cruz along with Democrat Sens. Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders.
But Russia has challenged the United States’ charge that Griner is “wrongfully detained.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that legalizing marijuana in parts of the United States does not have any bearing on what Russian law is, Fox News reported.
“If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was smuggling drugs, and she does not deny this, then this should be commensurate with our Russian, local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York, and Washington,” she said.
“You understand if drugs are legalized in the United States, in a number of states, and this is done for a long time, and now the whole country will become drug-addicted, this does not mean that all other countries are following the same path,” she said.
Russian media has speculated that Griner could be traded for known terrorist and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, but one of the DEA agents who helped arrest him has warned against it.
The former agent, Rob “Zach” Zachariasiewicz, penned an op-ed for USA Today in which he warned against making a trade of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a dangerous man who he helped capture, for Griner and/or Paul Whelan, two non-dangerous, wrongfully detained people.
“Bout, who is known as the “Merchant of Death,” provided the fuel for conflicts across the globe. He was a critical player in the global illicit arms trade not because he could obtain weapons but because he could deliver his destructive cargo anywhere in the world through his control of a private fleet of military aircraft. And he did just that,” the former DEA agent said.
“A tremendous amount of resources and political capital were spent on the critical national security investigation into Bout’s actions. Lives were placed at risk, and tireless efforts were made. Now many voices are not being adequately considered in these deliberations over whether to free Bout in exchange for an American. Those voices include an entire generation of maimed and orphaned inhabitants of war-torn countries throughout the world, especially in Africa,” he said.
