Brittney Griner, a renowned WNBA player and Olympian, has extended a heartfelt message of hope and resilience to Evan Gershkovich, a reporter recently convicted on espionage charges by a Russian court.
Griner, who herself endured a ten-month stint in a Russian penal colony, empathized with Gershkovich's predicament, urging him to remain steadfast in the face of adversity.
According to Mediaite, Griner's words of encouragement were shared during an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, scheduled to air on Friday. The Phoenix Mercury center, who was released from a Russian prison in December 2022, expressed her solidarity with Gershkovich and his family. "I went through that, and I understand what that means," Griner stated, emphasizing the urgency of securing Gershkovich's release. "We have to get him back, we have to," she asserted, adding, "Dont lose hope."
Griner's own experience with the Russian judicial system began in February 2022 when she was arrested at a Moscow airport for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Despite pleading guilty in July of the same year, she consistently maintained her innocence. Her eventual release came about as part of a prisoner exchange involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Gershkovich's conviction, on the other hand, follows what many have labeled a sham trial in a Russian court, resulting in a 16-year prison sentence. Arrested initially in March 2023, Gershkovich's defense team remains undeterred, vowing to appeal the conviction. attention.
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