Brittney Griner is finally home, and after spending nearly 10 months detained in Russia for carrying less than a gram of medically-prescribed hash oil, she’s using her platform to advocate for the release of other wrongfully detained prisoners. In a Dec. 21 Instagram post, Griner shared a handwritten letter encouraging her followers to support former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained in Moscow on suspicion of spying while attending a friend’s wedding in 2018. U.S. officials say Whelan was falsely convicted. Griner’s post is both encouraging and heartbreaking, and it shows just how much a little support can mean during difficult times.
"Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months," Griner wrote alongside a picture of her handwritten note. She now hopes to rally her followers to similarly advocate for Whelan’s return home. “There are many families with loved ones wrongfully detained,” she wrote. “Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG Campaign to bring me home, and it’s our turn to support them.” Griner also included Whelan’s mailing address through the American Citizen Services Unit Consular and invited followers to join her in writing to him, just as they did for her.
