The spouse of detained basketball star Brittney Griner stated Tuesday that she fears for her spouse’s psychological well being and that the adorned participant’s “thoughts is fading” in Russian custody.
Griner, the Phoenix Mercury heart, is serving a nine-year jail sentence on drug prices in what’s broadly considered as a political stunt by the Kremlin in response to U.S. sanctions in opposition to Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Cherelle Griner stated she final spoke together with her spouse in mid-October as she described her struggles to beat the psychological hardships of Russian imprisonment.
“She stated her psychological [health], it is not there, you realize? And she or he informed me, like, ‘I’m actually simply making an attempt to carry on to the final little bit of you that I can keep in mind, you realize?'” Cherelle Griner stated Tuesday on ABC’s “The View.”
“She’s like, ‘My thoughts is fading in right here.’ And, you realize, it’s simply so disheartening to listen to,” Cherelle Griner stated.
Brittney Griner, who for years has performed in Russia in the course of the WNBA’s offseason, was arrested and accused of being in possession of cannabis-derived vape cartridges.
Cherelle Griner, a legislation college graduate and aspiring legal professional, had held out hope that her spouse’s harsh sentence can be reduce — earlier than a courtroom final week affirmed it.
“Actually, it was simply disheartening. It was an entire disbelief for me. I imply, I perceive, being within the discipline of legislation, you realize, that each state, each nation has their very own guidelines. However that is simply absurd,” Cherelle Griner informed the panel of “The View.”
“I imply, the crime and the punishment is disproportionate at its best. I imply, there are folks convicted of homicide in Russia who has a sentence means lower than BG.”
Cherelle Griner stated her solely hope now could be for the White Home and the Kremlin to comply with a prisoner swap.
“And so proper now, that was the whole finish of it. There’s nothing extra to anticipate from a authorized standpoint,” she stated. “And all eggs now are in a basket for our authorities and for America to see how essential this subject is, as a result of this might occur to anyone.”
Emma Thorne contributed.
