LeBron James, the NBA’s best player, has joined calls for the government to assist in bringing Brittney Griner back to the United States after she was imprisoned in Russia for allegedly attempting to smuggle hash oil into the country.
Brittney Griner, a basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 18 for allegedly bringing into Russia vape cartridges containing hash oil, which is forbidden in Russia.
She was in Russia on a rumored $1 million contract to play for UMMC Yekaterinburg, but now faces up to ten years in a work camp for drug smuggling charges.
And now, LeBron James, the 37-year-old Lakers legend, has made a direct appeal to the Biden administration to return Griner ‘quickly and safely.’
On Twitter, the sportsman wrote: ‘We need to come together and help do whatever we can to bring BG [Brittney Griner] home quickly and safely!! Our voice as athletes is stronger together.’
He then shared a flyer by campaign group We Are BG which is petitioning to get Brittney back to the US. It read: ‘For over 100 days, BG has faced inhumane conditions in a Russian prison and has been denied communications with her family and loved ones.
‘As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, BG’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally.
‘It is imperative that the US Government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home.’
The Biden administration claims Griner is being held illegally, despite the fact that the WNBA and US officials have been working on her release for months with no evident results. Her detention, according to the White House, is unconstitutional.
Her case was handed up to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) in early May, whose job it is to negotiate the release of hostages and other Americans who have been illegally incarcerated.
The allegations against Griner have not been proven in court, and several public figures, including US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, have accused the Russian government of falsely accusing Griner and other Americans detained in Russia.
In a Moscow court last month, the Olympian pled not guilty to the accusations.
Russian officials have chastised the United States, claiming that state representatives are attempting to ‘influence justice’ by poking their noses into the process.
Her detention, according to Russian officials, is based on “actual facts and proof.” ‘She was busted while attempting to smuggle hash oil. This is a felony in Russia,’ according to a statement acquired by CNN.
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