Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and hasn’t been free from a Russian jail ever since.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia in the near future for talks aimed at finding a deal to free the detained WNBA star, according to ABC News.
Richardson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, played a role in achieving a prisoner exchange in April that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.
“(National Security Council) leadership are in touch with Bill Richardson. We appreciate his commitment to getting Americans home and are pursuing the release of Brittney and Paul through government channels,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Sunday.
News of the planned trip comes days after Griner pleaded guilty in a court outside Moscow. Russians found two cartridges with less than a gram of cannabis oil in each and Griner told the court Thursday that she was packing in a hurry and the cartridges ended up in her bag accidentally, and she did not intend to break the law. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
Richardson told CNN on Thursday following Griner’s plea, “We believe that any prisoner in a situation like this needs to do what they believe can help them survive the ordeal.”
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“She is fighting for her life,” Richardson said, adding he “is working hard on trying to secure the safe return” of Griner and Whelan from Russia, but declined to give further details due to “ongoing efforts.”
Richardson returned to New Mexico and was elected governor in 2002.
We can only hope and pray that he can get the job done.
