In a letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the groups said Ms Greener “continues to be treated inhumanely, deprived of contact with her family”. The letter said the United States “recognized that Brittney was essentially a political pawn to be considered an unjust detainee.” And while the signatories cited “deep appreciation” for the government’s efforts to secure Ms Greener ‘s release, “we urge you now to make a deal to bring Britney back to America immediately and safely.” Phoenix Mercury basketball player was arrested in Russia on February 17 on charges of having hashish oil in her luggage. At first, Ms. Greiner’s camp was concerned that the publicity could worsen the situation due to tensions between Russia and the United States, including the war in Ukraine. But the group’s approach has changed since the State Department said on May 3 that it had ruled that Ms Greener had been “wronged in custody”. This meant that the United States could make greater efforts to bring her home despite legal action against her in Russia. In recent weeks, WNBA players, working with Ms. Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and others, have sought to draw attention to her case. The latest effort, a letter from groups such as the National Organization for Women, the Campaign for Human Rights, the National Civil Union and the National Action Network, was coordinated by Ms. Greiner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Kolas, who worked with the Democratic Army. Karen Finney. and others. The groups, which represent a coalition of constituencies that helped Biden’s election, speak openly amid growing frustration with the pace of efforts to bring Mrs Greiner home. “As far as I understand, no negotiations have been launched for her release, so this letter is very strong because it is the necessary support to emphasize the fact that we are in the phase where you should make an agreement,” Cherelle said. Griner. “I wish I could say I understand that clearly,” he said of the White House strategy. “They talk a lot in code with me.” The administration, he said, “is discussing whether to start negotiations”, when it has already been established that her wife was detained illegally. “Instead, they talk and waste time on my wife’s life.” White House officials declined to comment. Government officials said Biden’s team was in regular contact with the Greener family and that Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken spoke with Serel Greener in May. The hostage envoy is also in contact with Mrs Greener’s team. Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico and former US ambassador to the United Nations, is also working to secure the release of Ms. Greener and another American in Russia, former Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained since 2018. However, Cherelle Griner said she was unsure of how much the White House was prioritizing the case. She told the Associated Press she had to speak to her husband by phone for the first time in about four months at the weekend, but a logistical problem at the US Embassy in Moscow thwarted plans. According to the AP, the embassy was to facilitate the call between the two women. But when Brittney Griner called the embassy to contact her husband in the United States, there was no answer. Brittney Griner’s lawyers said she tried to call the line 11 times while her husband waited in vain for the call, the AP reported. “I was upset. I was hurt. “I was done, I’m bored,” Cherelle Griner told the Associated Press
