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This week a mural was unveiled in Washington DC featuring 18 people wrongfully detained overseas.
Amongst the 18 were Houston-born women's basketball star, Brittney Griner. Griner was arrested in Russia in February and has been wrongfully detained in a Moscow prison for the past five months.
Griner was arrested in February for alleged “large-scale transportation” of cannabis into Russia, where she spends the winter playing basketball for a Russian team. Griner, who was born and went to school in Houston, was drafted out of Baylor and was the number one pick in the 2014 WNBA draft.
The mural was designed to draw attention to the plight of Americans unjustly imprisoned overseas. A press conference was held at the unveiling of the mural.
“Ultimately, our campaign seeks to urge President Biden to … make use of all the tools in the toolbox to bring [American detainees] home, including but not limited to prisoner trades,” Jonathan Franks, spokesman of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign,
There has been criticism of the Biden administration for not doing enough to bring Griner backed to the United States.
Basketball star Lebron James weighed in on the debate, saying, " now, how can she feel like America has her back?” I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even wanna go back to America?’”
“I can assure you that the Biden-Harris administration and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, they are committed to getting these people home. They’re committed to taking care of these families,” Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department
Griner has pleaded guilty and has shown the court a US doctor’s letter recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain.
Readers, what do you think? Should the Biden administration be doing more to bring Brittney Griner back home? Or do you believe he should let the Russian legal system work through the process?
Please leave your comments below.
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