“The President called Cheryl to assure her that he is working to secure Britney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whalen and other American citizens wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world.” He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney Greener today,” the White House said.
Griner wrote in a letter delivered to Biden on Monday that she feared she could be detained in Russia indefinitely.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any achievements, I am terrified that I could be here forever,” an excerpt of the letter obtained by CNN said earlier this week.
Griner wrote: “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do whatever you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you .. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now.. I am grateful for anything you can do at this time to bring me home,” she wrote.
The White House said Biden “offered his support to Cheryl and Britney’s family and is committed to ensuring they receive all possible assistance as his administration pursues all options to bring Britney home.”
Biden also ordered his team to remain in “regular contact” with Cheryl and Brittney Greener’s family.
Griner, 31, who played in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and charged her with smuggling significant quantities of the drug, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. She went on trial in Moscow on Friday on drug smuggling charges.
Griner’s supporters and US officials say she was wrongfully detained and have called for her release as concerns mount that she is being used as a political pawn amid rising tensions between Russia and the US.
Other detainees have yet to receive a response
A coalition of families of American hostages and detainees who wrote a joint letter to Biden asking to meet with him have yet to hear back, their spokesman said Wednesday. The statement about the lack of response from the Bring Our Families Home campaign came just before the news that Biden and Harris had spoken with Cheryl Greener.
In mid-June, the Bring Our Families Home campaign wrote a letter to Biden formally asking him to meet with the campaign’s leadership team, saying “it has become clear to us that without your direct involvement, other issues will continue to overshadow the release of our innocent family members.”
In the days following that letter, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with families of Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas. He did not promise a meeting with Biden, but tried to assure them that the administration is doing everything possible to bring their loved ones home.
Jonathan Franks, the campaign’s spokesman, said in a statement Wednesday that “so far, the campaign has not received a response.”
There is growing frustration among the families of those wrongfully detained overseas who feel the Biden administration is not doing enough to secure the release of their loved ones. In recent weeks, several of those detainees themselves have reached out directly to Biden to try to get him to do more.
Paul Whalen, who is also being held in Russia, said in a statement Monday: “As the United States celebrates Independence Day, American citizens held hostage around the world are reminded that freedom is not free.”
Last week, Siamak Namazi, who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2015, published an op-ed in The New York Times in which he wrote: “I am now compelled to break this silence because I believe the Biden administration’s approach to saving Americans The Iran crisis has failed spectacularly so far, and unless the president intervenes immediately, we are likely to languish in this abyss for the foreseeable future.”
Franks noted that “when wrongfully detained Americans communicate publicly behind bars, they risk being punished for it, which makes their courage all the more remarkable.”
“That relatives of our constituent families felt the need to write these open messages to President Biden speaks to the extent to which many hostage families feel let down, abandoned and often ghosted by West Wing decision makers.” When families do receive ‘answers,’ they are often superficial and unresponsive,” he said in the statement.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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