For the first time, US WNBA star Brittney Griner talks about her imprisonment in a Russian prison. Griner sits down for a one-on-one conversation with Robin Roberts for ABC 20/20’s special Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview. She describes her time in the penal colony as a “less than human” experience. The exclusive special will air on the network on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET.
According to CNN, Griner is a two-time olympic gold medalist and US WNBA star. For years, she also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a professional Russian women’s basketball team. But, on February 17, 2022, while returning to the country to rejoin the team during the WNBA off-season, authorities at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki detained her. The authorities found cannabis oil in her luggage and arrested her in drug-smuggling charges.
Brittney Griner claimed that at that moment, her first thought was, “My life is over right here.” She was in a Russian penal colony for months on a nine-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the drug charges in July 2022, per ABC News. In the ABC 20/20 interview, she disclosed being “just so scared about everything because there’s so much unknown.”
Describing the conditions there, the WNBA star said, “You got to do what you got to do to survive.” She recalled seeing “a huge knife sitting on the table. Seeing this, she said she thought to herself, “‘Now, this is going to be a ride.'” She further stated, “The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human.” A preview shows the star tearing up while talking about the emotional distress from her confinement days.
Per CNN, during the interview, Griner told Robin Roberts she had suicidal thoughts. She said, “I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through.” Her release came in December 2022, following a prisoner exchange deal the US negotiated with Russia.
What happened to Brittney Griner?
CNN and ABC News stated that Russian authorities detailed WNBA star Brittney Griner after finding vape cartridges. Authorities found these cartridges, which consisted of about one gram of cannabis oil, in her luggage. The incident occurred at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki, Moscow, on February 17, 2022. She was returning to the country during WNBA off-season to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg woman’s basketball team. Possession of cannabis oil is illegal in the country.
On July 7, 2022, Grinner pleaded guilty to drug-smuggling charges. In her testimony, she claimed to have “no intention” of breaking Russian law. The nine-time WNBA star said she packed the cartridges unintentionally, alleging it was an accident. Nonetheless, she received a nine-year prison sentence and spent close to 300 days in a Russian penal colony in Mordovia.
However, in May, prior to her sentencing, the US had declared that Russian authorities had “wrongfully detained” Brittney Griner. ABC stated that later that year on October 25, a judge rejected an appeal her lawyers had filed. She was ultimately released on December 8 in a prisoner exchange deal the US struck with Russia. The latter demanded the return of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner’s return.
On December 16, Griner first made a public statement via an Instagram post. In the post, she expressed gratitude for those who advocated for her and made her return possible. She also thanked her wife, Cherelle, and the WNBA family. In May 2023, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury and officially restarted her WNBA journey. She made her ninth WNBA appearance last season. Moreover, earlier this month, she and her wife announced that they were expecting their first child.
Moreover, on February 6, Brittney Griner told Good Morning America that she is releasing a new memoir on May 7 this year. She revealed that her memoir, “Coming Home,” is about her imprisonment. Griner also released a statement about her upcoming book, saying, “‘Coming Home’ begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets. But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”
The 33-year-old athlete claimed she hopes “to raise awareness surrounding other Americans wrongfully detained abroad” with the book. In other news, she also aims to join the US Olympic team for the Paris Olympic Games this year.
ABC 20/20’s Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview features interviews with sevral others besides the WNBA star. According to People Magazine, the one-hour special comprises interviews with Griner’s wife, Cherelle, agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas, and Special Presidential Envoy of Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens.
Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview premieres on May 1, 2024, at 10:00 p.m. ET. The special will be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
