Brittney Griner needs to be freed from her Russian prison as soon as possible.
Russian authorities sentenced the Phoenix Mercury star to 9 years in prison for what they called “drug possession and smuggling.” Authorities arrested Griner at the airport back in February after they found less than a gram of cannabis oil on her person upon arrival in the country. She’s been in jail ever since.
Though Griner has that horrifying sentence staring her down, there is still hope in freeing her. It’s not time to give up. The possibility of a prisoner swap is still on the table, as we detailed here on Thursday after her sentencing.
However, to get it done, the United States will reportedly need to keep things on the hush.
The Kremlin is apparently open to a prisoner swap, per the Associated Press, but has “strongly warned” against publicizing any negotiations that are happening.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said communication about a swap should only happen via a dedicated Russia-U.S. channel that President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to set up in June 2021.
Here’s exactly what he had to say.
“If the Americans again try to engage in public diplomacy and make loud statements about their intention to take certain steps, it’s their business, I would even say their problem,” Lavrov said. “The Americans often have trouble observing agreements on calm and professional work.”
None of that sounds great. At all. So it needs to be quiet on this front so things can get done and Griner can go free.
Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are both in Cambodia right now for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It’s an opportunity for the two sides to have discussions, but it’s unclear if anything will happen from this. And, honestly, with the way things are looking, we probably won’t know until it’s done.
All we can do is be patient and keep pulling for Griner. It’s frustrating, certainly. But the rest is out of our hands. Let’s just hope it gets done soon.
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