*WNBA star Brittney Griner has called on her fans to pen letters in support of American Paul Whelan who remains imprisoned in Russia.
Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony was announced on Dec. 8, as part of a trade with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death’ and known for fueling the Liberian civil war.
The Biden Administration attempted to secure her release along with Whelan, a former American marine who has been detained in Russia for four years. President Biden noted that Russia declined to release Whelan as officials are handling his case differently.
Bout, who spent over 14 years behind bars in the U.S., is famously known for providing weapons for some of the worst conflicts throughout the world and Africa.
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When Grier arrived back in the U.S. earlier this month, her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told CNN that the Olympic gold medalist was thinking of Whelan and his family.
“She is thinking about his family and talked about her intention to call them as soon as she gets home,” Colas told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, PEOPLE reports. “She’s really committed to telling this story and making sure that this population of wrongfully detained Americans, that people know their names.”
Griner penned a handwritten letter to her Instagram followers asking them to advocate for Whelan’s safe return home.
“Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months,” Griner wrote. “You took time to show me you cared, and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered.”
The Phoenix Mercury center thanked those who wrote to her “from the bottom of my heart” and hopes the same support will be given to Whelan and other families who remain imprisoned in Russia.
“My family is whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together,” she wrote. “However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained.”
Griner explained, “Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the #WeAreBG campaign to bring me home, and it’s our turn to support them. I hope you’ll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families.”
Griner included in her letter Whelan’s mailing address where he is receiving packages.
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