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Brittney Griner Sentenced connected Drug Charges successful Russian Court
Presidential support.
On Sept. 16, President Joe Biden met with Cherelle Griner, the woman of Brittney Griner, arsenic the WNBA prima remains detained successful Russia.
In a connection to E! News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared that the 2 met successful the Oval Office, wherever President Biden reiterated his "continued committedness to moving done each disposable avenues to bring Griner location safely."
That aforesaid day, Biden besides met separately with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan, another American who has been detained successful Russia since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence.
"The President appreciated the accidental to larn much astir Brittney and Paul from those who emotion them most, and acknowledged that each infinitesimal they are being held is simply a infinitesimal excessively long," the connection read. "We each respect the courageousness of the Whelan and Griner families successful the look of these unimaginable circumstances, and we stay committed to reuniting them with their loved ones."
The meetings travel aft earlier conversations that the president, his nationalist information team, and the State Department person held with the detainees' families to support them updated connected efforts to unafraid the merchandise of their loved ones arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.
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Back successful August, Brittney was sentenced to nine years in a prison connected cause charges stemming from her February apprehension astatine Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. A Russian tribunal recovered the jock guilty of cause possession and smuggling, successful summation to uncovering her blameworthy of committing the transgression deliberately.
Her lawyer has since filed an appeal.
After Brittney's conviction, Bill Richardson, a erstwhile U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the Associated Press helium was hopeful astir the chances for a captive swap with Russia that would bring her and Paul home to the U.S.
Dennis Rodman is besides seeking the prison release of Brittney, vowing to travel to Russia himself to marque it happen.
"I got support to spell to Russia to assistance that girl," he told NBC News astatine a edifice successful Washington, D.C. connected Aug. 20. "I'm trying to spell this week."
No connection if the erstwhile NBA prima ever made the trip.
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