Tara Kavaler | Arizona Republic
Rep. Greg Stanton introduced Wednesday a congressional resolution imploring the Russian government to free WNBA Phoenix Mercury basketball star Brittney Griner.
Stanton, D-Ariz., who represents a Phoenix area congressional district, is sponsoring the resolution with two Texas Democrats: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who hails from Griner's hometown of Houston, and Rep. Colin Allred, from the Dallas area who, like Griner, attended Baylor University in Waco.
Among other things, the resolution would urge the U.S. government to do everything it possibly can to secure the 31-year-old Griner's freedom and safe return home. It also urges the Russian Federation to allow U.S. diplomats access to Griner while she is in detention and to ensure her "human rights" are upheld. In addition, it calls for the release of all people unfairly incarcerated in Russia, including U.S. resident Paul Whelan, a Marine veteran accused of espionage.
"I’ve been lucky enough to watch Brittney develop and grow as a professional athlete, but also as a leader in our Phoenix community. We won’t stop working until she’s safely back with her family," Stanton said in a written statement.
The move comes after news last week that Griner's pretrial detention was to be extended by another month.
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department clarified Griner's status in Russia as being "wrongfully detained." That designation allows the U.S. government to preemptively seek her release before the Russian Federation's courts come to a legal conclusion. The implications outside of the legal realm mean that her allies can be more vocal about her case, which initially was kept low profile at the behest of the State Department.
"We must keep Brittney’s case on the forefront and make clear to the White House that her release should be one of the highest priorities for our government," Cherelle Griner, Brittney’s wife, said in a written statement. "I’m grateful to know that these leaders in Congress have Brittney’s back and will continue to do everything in their power to get her home."
Griner has been in confinement since Feb. 17, when security at the Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport in Khimki, Russia, reportedly found vape cartridges laced with marijuana oil. She was denied bail a month later. If convicted, Griner faces up to a decade in Russian prison.