Brittney Griner’s ongoing court case in Russia has attracted the attention of celebrity activists outside of the sports world, with comedian Amy Schumer, Kim Kardashian, and Lisa Rinna among those appealing for the WNBA star’s freedom.
Ms Schumer posted a screenshot of the two-time Olympian looking shocked as she saw the media waiting for her outside the court during her first pre-trial hearing in Moscow this week.
The comedian wrote: “Let’s go everybody. This is not okay. #freebrittneygriner now. All hands on deck. Make some noise.”
Fellow actors and celebrities joined Ms Schumer’s cry for action, including Lisa Rinna of The Real Housewives franchise. Ms Rinna wrote enthusiastically: “Yes!!!!!! We need to get her out of there stat!!!!!”
Ahead of Thursday’s court date, Kim Kardashian, who often campaigns for prison reform in the US, used Ms Schumer’s original Instagram post on Wednesday and added her own #FreeBrittneyGriner tag before sending it out to her 323 million followers around the world.
The wave of celebrities chiming in to support Ms Griner comes in the wake of the sports world pushing for the US government to do more to secure Ms Griner’s release for some time now. On Wednesday, Ms Griner’s team Phoenix Mercury held a public rally to show support.
At the White House on Thursday afternoon, soccer star Megan Rapinoe had Ms Griner’s initials “BG” embroidered into the cuffs of her suit as she received the President Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden.
Mr Biden has received and replied to a letter from Ms Griner and the administration is insisting that it is doing all it can to help her situation despite widespread criticism from fans, friends, and her family that they were not doing enough.
Two-time Olympian Ms Griner pleaded guilty to the drug smuggling charges leveled against her at Thursday’s court hearing in Moscow. She told the judge that her actions were not intentional, but the result of hurried packing.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, speaking English which was then translated into Russian for the court.
“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,” she added.
The next court hearing is scheduled for 14 July. Until then Ms Griner will remain in detention at Correctional Colony No 1 outside of Moscow — a former orphanage rebuilt a decade ago to serve as a prison for women awaiting trial and women serving their sentences.
While the idea of a prisoner swap between the US and Russia has been put forward, Russian authorities are adamant that no such agreement will be reached until the trial has run its course and a verdict has been handed down.
