Brittney Griner's Birthday Renews Calls for Her Release From Russian Prison

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been locked up in Russia since February, turned 32 Tuesday, an occasion that has led her family and online supporters to again raise calls for her to be returned home to the United States.

Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, has been part of the launch of a #WeAreBG campaign. She shared a video message on her personal Instagram account about the initiative on Monday, the eight-month anniversary of when the Phoenix Mercury player was taken into custody at a Moscow airport and charged with possession of vape canisters containing cannabis oil.

"I want to thank President [Joe] Biden for the administration's efforts to secure her release."

Nina Turner, a political activist and former Ohio state senator, noted Griner's birthday on Twitter and wrote: "#FreeBG!"

"Today, Brittney Griner turns 32," tennis legend Billie Jean King tweeted. "She will spend her birthday in a Russian prison, where she has been unlawfully detained for 8 months. Let's continue to advocate for her release and bring her home."

The WNBA also tweeted out a message of support for Griner on her birthday.

"Happy Birthday Brittney Griner, we will not forget about you and we will not stop fighting for you. The W won't be the same until you're home," the league's official Twitter account said.

Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic basketball gold medalist, pleaded guilty to drug charges in July. She has said she accidentally packed the cannabis oil before traveling to Russia, where she was playing basketball in between WNBA seasons. Her legal defense team has said she used cannabis oil to treat pain brought on by sports-related injuries.

In August, Griner was convicted by a Russian court of deliberately smuggling drugs into the country and sentenced her to nine years in jail. She was also fined 1 million rubles (approximately $16,000).

Griner addressed the court before the verdict and apologized for her actions.

"I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here," Griner said at the time. "I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here. I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope...that is far from this courtroom."

Biden met with Cherelle Griner in September at the White House and assured her that his administration was working toward bringing her wife home.

In August, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it communicated with the United States about a potential prisoner swap that would include Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. This past weekend, though, Yury Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Griner's release is not a priority for Russia.

Last week, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters that the United States has not had consular access to Griner since early August.

Griner's attorneys in Russia, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, provided Newsweek with a statement from Griner.

"Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me," Griner said.

Newsweek reached out to #WeAreBG campaign for comment.

Update 10/18/22 13:00 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Brittney Griner that was provided by her defense team.