Achi news desk-
For the first time, WNBA star Brittney Griner will speak at length about her nearly 10-month Russian imprisonment in an interview highlighting harsh prison conditions and the athlete’s response to being jailed for possessing vape cartridges including cannabis oil in his possession.
Griner, 33, spoke candidly and often became emotional as she recalled her experience inside a Russian penal colony as part of an upcoming interview with 20/20.
Wearing a suit and her hair cropped short, Griner wept as she told interviewer Robin Roberts that she was often scared during her time in custody “because there was so much unknown.”
Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom after a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia on August 4, 2022.
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Griner reportedly made the decision to cut her long hair while in custody in Russia. Her lawyer said Griner’s hair would freeze when it was wet while she was held in the penal colony.
The nine-time WNBA All-Star entered Russia on February 15, 2022, to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg team during its offseason. She was arrested after Russian customs officials said they found vape cartridges of hashish oil, which is derived from cannabis, in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession, although she claimed she had inadvertently brought cannabis oil into the country.
She was sentenced to nine years in prison, but was released on December 8, 2022, as part of a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In a trailer for the upcoming interview, Griner recalled the moment she realized she was carrying the vape canister at the Moscow airport.
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“My life is over here,” Griner recalled thinking.
Brittney Griner sits inside a cell after the court verdict during a hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. -.
EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Discussing the conditions she faced during her time in custody, Griner said the mattress in her cell had “a huge blood stain on it.”
The athlete also said that there was no soap or toilet paper available to her.
“That was the moment where I felt less than human,” Griner said.
Griner admitted to experiencing some suicidal ideation while in custody in Russia.
“I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to,” Griner said through tears.
Griner claims he has never brought cannabis to Russia before his arrest. Although she has in the past answered selective questions about her time in custody in Russia, the 20/20 special will be Griner’s first in-depth interview about the experience.
Her detention in 2022 sparked international concern for her welfare among LGBTQ2 advocates because Griner, who is lesbian, was jailed in a country where authorities have often been hostile to gay and queer people. Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, made impassioned pleas for Griner to return home throughout her 10-month detention, and met with US President Joe Biden before the prisoner exchange with Russia.
ABC reported the 20/20 The special will also include interviews with Griner’s wife, Cherelle, Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens.
Griner returned to professional basketball in May 2023 and continued her career with the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team.
This month, Griner and Cherelle announced that they are expecting their first child together, in July 2024.
“Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being,” Cherelle wrote on Instagram, alongside the hashtag #BabyGrinerComingSoon.
One hour Griner 20/20 interview, titled “Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview,” airs on ABC at 10 pm ET on May 1.
She is also releasing a memoir, entitled Come homewhich will be available on May 7.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
