Brittney Griner
Sarah Biren
Sarah Biren
August 16, 2022 ·  5 min read

The scientific theory of why some Americans don’t want Brittney Griner to come home from a Russian prison

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine and a half years in a Russian prison. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested after bringing cannabis vape cartridges into Russia where she was asked to play during the offseason. U.S. President Joe Biden called her sentence “unacceptable.” 

Brittney Griner Sentenced to 9.5 Years in a Russian Prison

Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport when customs agents found the hashish oil vape cartridges in her luggage. Later, Griner admitted to possessing the cartridges but said she made a mistake by accidentally packing them. In court, she pleaded with the Russian judge not to “end her life” with a long sentence. In addition to the nine and a half years, she received a 1 million roubles ($16,990) fine. 

During the trial, her defense team argue that the forensic expert at the airport had made some technical and procedural errors. As another forensic expert, Dmitry Gladyshev testified, “The examination [of the cartridges] does not comply with the legislation regarding the completeness of the study and does not comply with the norms of the [Russian Criminal] Code.” 

Additionally, Griner testified that the interpreter at the airport didn’t give her a full translation, and she had to use a translate phone app to speak with the customs officer. Plus, she was not told her rights or given access to a lawyer, all while being told to sign certain documents. Furthermore, the cannabis was for medicinal use and Griner had no criminal intent. [1]

President Biden contacted Russia to release Brittney Griner. “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” he said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.” [2]

Political Negotiations

Because of the timing of her detainment and the nature of her offense, many consider Griner a political pawn Russia is using to hold over the U.S. which is discussing a prisoner swap. One theoretical swap could include Griner and Paul Whelan, a corporate executive and prisoner in Russia since 2018. They’d trade with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving 25 years in prison in the U.S. However, Russia has criticized the U.S. for publicizing the offer to put pressure on them. 

A Russian diplomat confirmed the names have come up during negotiations. “The discussion of the very sensitive topic of the exchange of imprisoned citizens of Russia and the United States is taking place within the framework of the channels determined by our presidents,” said Alexander Darchiev, director of the North American Department of Russia’s foreign ministry. “The mentioned names are really being considered.”

Darchiev added that Moscow has “long been seeking the release of Viktor Bout…” However, “the details should be left to professionals, based on the principle of ‘do no harm’.” [3]

Griner’s defense team filed an appeal. However, in the court of public opinion, many people are not rooting for Brittney Griner’s return home. Dani Gilbert, a Rosenwald Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and International Security at Dartmouth College’s John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and an expert on hostage situations, has ideas as to why. 

Read: Brittney Griner’s coach claims she would be home if she was a famous male athlete

“Worthy of Government Assistance?”

Gilbert’s research suggests that “how someone came to be in need of assistance affects whether or not the public thinks that person should receive it”. This occurrence is called the “deservingness heuristic.” Gilbert uses poverty as an example. Those who think poor individuals are suffering from misfortune are more likely to support and assist programs to combat poverty. However, those who think poor people are lazy are less likely to contribute to those programs. These ideas similarly apply to public perceptions of those in hostage situations. 

The fact that the American public might be really focused on the alleged drug possession and the outlandish accusation of drug smuggling might make the American public less willing to pay attention to this case,” Gilbert said. She added that the public may also be “less supportive of government efforts to bring her home. That’s the kind of dynamic that might really be in play.”

There are also personal characteristics at play in these kinds of situations. Like in Griner’s case, “race is a huge deal here”. As she explained, “A white girl or a white woman who is taken captive or arrested or something like that elicits tons of sympathy from the American public in a way that women and girls of color do not.” Gilbert believed that Griner’s race “could be a huge part of the lack of attention to her case. And then there are other demographic characteristics, including the fact that she is openly gay, that she is gender nonconforming, not traditionally feminine. All of these work against public sympathy for someone in her position,” Gilbert added.

Brittney Griner’s Unknown Fate

Then there’s the case of Griner’s political beliefs. Although she is not especially political, she received backlash in July 2020. At the time, many athletes knelt when the national anthem was played to protest police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death. “I honestly feel we should not play the National Anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand,” Griner told the Arizona Republic at the time. She added, “I don’t mean that in any disrespect to our country. My dad was in Vietnam and a law officer for 30 years. I wanted to be a cop before basketball. I do have pride for my country.

However, some people comment that Griner deserves the sentence because she is too unpatriotic. “I think that feeds in, in a way, to the whole deservingness thing,” Gilbert said. “People decide in their minds, if someone protests or has a particular political persuasion, that that suddenly means that they’re not worthy of government assistance. What we should really be focused on is the fact that she was wrongfully detained and is sitting in Russian prison in illegitimate arrest. And that any American in that situation deserves help to come home.” [4]

Keep Reading: Justin Bieber Offers To Help Bring Brittney Griner Back To U.S.

Sources

  1. “Brittney Griner situation explained: Russia confirms prisoner swap negotiations with U.S. regarding WNBA star.” CBS. Wajih AlBaroudi , Isabel Gonzalez  & Shanna McCarriston. Aug 15, 2022
  2. “Russia sentences Griner to 9 years in prison, White House calls for her release.Reuters. August 5, 2022
  3. “Brittney Griner appeals Russian drug conviction.” CNBC. Chantal Da Silva and Yuliya Talmazan. August 15, 2022
  4. “The scientific theory of why some Americans don’t want Brittney Griner to come home from a Russian prison.” Insider. Meredith Cash. August 11, 2022