Griner’s manager says WNBA star receiving written communication while detained in Russia

The manager for WNBA star Brittney Griner said in a statement on Twitter that the athlete has been able to receive written communication during her detainment in Russia.

Griner was detained in a Russian airport earlier this year after Russian officials claimed they found hashish oil in her luggage.

“While sporadic, written communication from her wife, family, friends and global sport community has been a source of comfort for BG during her wrongful detainment, going without real time, regular contact with loved ones is inhumane,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas said.

A source with knowledge of the arrangement told CNN that Griner’s attorneys submit printed-out emails that have been addressed to her to Russian authorities and that the WNBA star receives those printouts. 

However, Colas said Griner has not been able to speak to her wife or family members, adding, “It remains clear that Brittney Griner is being used as a political pawn.”

The development comes as her team, the State Department and others call for Griner’s release, with the Biden administration saying early last month that she was wrongfully detained. 

Her continued detainment parallels Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine, a conflict that has been condemned widely by the international community. The U.S. and its allies have initiated several rounds of sanctions, including on Russian banks and on Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.

The U.S. has also banned the import of Russian oil. And earlier this week, the European Union officially adopted a sanctions package banning Russian oil in Europe.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who has been working on Griner’s case, said last month that he remained “optimistic” officials would be able to bring her back home.

“I’m optimistic,” Richardson said while making an appearance on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” “I am. Hopefully, it’ll happen soon, but it will happen. Brittney Griner will come home. It’s gonna happen.” 

— Updated at 7:47 p.m.