US basketball star shocked by Russian prison conditions: They forced me to write a letter to Putin

The interview aired on the evening of Wednesday, May 1, ahead of the release of her memoir, Coming Home, on May 7.

B. Griner was arrested in 2022. in February at the Moscow airport. Russian law enforcement said they found e-cigarettes with cannabis oil in her luggage. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

“In the first few weeks, I wanted to take my own life more than once,” she told ABC. “I really wanted to get out.” However, the athlete decided not to raise her hand against herself – partly because she was afraid that the Russian authorities would not hand over her body to her relatives.

According to B. Griner, she put the e-cigarettes with hemp oil by accident, through carelessness, similar to how we sometimes misplace car keys, only in this case, everything was much more serious, The Guardian writes.

The 33-year-old basketball player said she was shocked by the conditions in the first prison, known as IK-1. She also said that her impressive height (almost 206 centimeters) caused additional difficulties. “There was a huge bloodstain on the mattress. “I got two thin sheets, so I felt like I was sleeping on the floor,” she said. – And part of my foot and lower leg would stick out through the bars of the cell. In prison, it is better not to stick your arms and legs out of the bars, because someone can grab them and break or disembowel them. That’s exactly the scenario I was thinking about.”

According to B. Griner, she was given one roll of toilet paper per month, and the toothpaste she received was more than 10 years old. The woman used it to remove mold from the walls of the cell.

Ms Griner was well known in Russia before her arrest and had won several national titles with the Yekaterinburg BK UGMK basketball team. The inmates called her “American” and “Basketball Girl”.

The second prison, IK-2, was a hard labor prison where she had to cut her hair because of the terrible conditions. “The spiders were weaving their webs above my bed,” she said. – My dreadlocks started to freeze. They were constantly wet and cold, and I started to feel bad, so I ended up cutting them off. What you won’t do to survive.”

Her ordeal began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and her arrest further heightened tensions between Russia and the United States. B. Griner was released in 2022. in December, after the US agreed with Russia on the exchange of prisoners: the basketball player was exchanged for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

According to the woman, she was forced to write a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin before being released. “They made me write a letter. In Russian, she said. – I had to ask for mercy and thank their great commander. I didn’t want to write, but I wanted to go home.”

She was disappointed to learn that Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia, did not fly with her. “I was walking towards the plane, but I didn’t see it. Maybe it’s his turn now. Maybe they will free him too, the athlete revealed. “The plane door closed and I couldn’t believe he wasn’t coming back with me.”

B. Griner represents the Pheonix Mercury team and is considered one of the best current basketball players. She was a nine-time WNBA All-Star and won two Olympic gold medals with the US National Team. The WNBA season will begin on May 14.