Lina Washington | 12 News
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Res. 1132 on Friday, a bipartisan resolution that calls on the Russian government to immediately release WNBA star, Brittney Griner.
The 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury center was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling after Russian airport authorities claimed in February to have found cannabis products in her luggage.
The resolution was backed by Arizona's Rep. Greg Stanton.
“Not a day goes by that we aren’t thinking of Brittney and working to get her home,” Stanton said in a statement. “We will continue to push for her release and make sure that she is not forgotten.”
The resolution was first introduced last month by Stanton, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Rep. Colin Allred of Texas. Griner, a Houston, Texas native, graduated from Baylor University, winning an NCAA Championship with the Bears.
In May, the U.S. government determined she was wrongfully detained, which meant the department is now working to negotiate her release. Griner's detention was extended to July 2 earlier this month.
“I’m grateful for this overwhelming show of support from Congress. We need to be doing all we can to keep Brittney’s case on the forefront and finally put an end to this nightmare,” Brittney’s wife, Cherelle Griner, said.
Griner was in Russia during the WNBA offseason playing for the women’s professional basketball team, UMMC Ekaterinburg.