Britney Griner Imprisonment: U.S. Embassy Officials Visit WNBA Star; Wife Cherelle Griner Calls Russian Court Decision 'Absurd'

After a Russian Appeals Court in Moscow rejected her appeal, several U.S. Embassy officials in Moscow visited the WNBA star and Olympic Gold Medalist. In addition, her wife, Cherelle Griner, appeared on "The View" and broke her silence about the appeal.

State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed the visit by U.S. embassy officials and stated that they "saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances."

Price also confirmed that the Biden administration is continuing its push for the release of not just Britney Griner, but also former Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained, charged, and sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. Whelan and his family say that the charges are bogus.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also released a statement saying that Griner "is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances." She also added that the Biden administration is also working to resolve the "unacceptable and wrongful detentions" of both Whelan and Griner.

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. government regards both Griner and Whelan as "wrongfully detained," which means that the U.S. government is doing everything in its power to get both of them back.

Cherelle Griner Breaks Silence on Britney Griner's Appeal Rejection by Russian Court

On Tuesday, Cherelle Griner, the wife of Britney Griner, appeared on ABC's "The View." There, she blasted the Moscow-based Russian Appeals Court's decision to sentence her wife to nine years in prison inside a Russian penal colony, calling the decision "absurd."

According to Fox News, Cherelle told the hosts of "The View" that there were apparent discrepancies in Russia's judicial system.

"Honestly, it was just disheartening. It was a complete disbelief for me. I understand being in the field of law that every state, every country has their own rules, but this is just absurd," she said in the show.

Cherelle also pointed out that the crime and punishment in Russia were "disproportionate at its finest," and added that there were murderers in the country with sentences less than her wife. She said, "it just makes absolutely no sense to me."

Britney Griner's Russian attorneys echoed her sentiments and stated that the court's sentence is "excessive and contradicts to the existing court practice."

Cherelle previously met with President Joe Biden in the White House, wherein she was assured that the United States government is doing everything it can to get her wife back on American soil.

WNBA Coach Becky Hammon Calls Brittney Griner Imprisonment 'Wrong'

2022 WNBA Coach of the Year and championship-winning coach Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces recently spoke out against Griner's imprisonment during a conversation with Hannah Storm on Wednesday at the espnW Women + Sports Summit in Ojai, California.

Hammon was the first person to lead a WNBA franchise to a title in their debut season as head coach. She has a lot of experience in Russia as she became a naturalized Russian citizen 15 years ago to play for the Russian national team, according to ESPN.

The coach called the Russian decision "wrong," and described it as a "gut punch," saying that the decision was not normal and that she had been turned into a political pawn.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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