[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 716 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 716

Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner, a citizen of the 
  United States, who was wrongfully detained by the Government of the 
                  Russian Federation in February 2022.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 21, 2022

 Mr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Sinema, 
 Mr. Warnock, Mr. Markey, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Mr. 
Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Casey, Mr. Kaine, 
 Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Warren, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Booker, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
Bennet, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Peters, Mr. Padilla, 
Mr. Coons, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner, a citizen of the 
  United States, who was wrongfully detained by the Government of the 
                  Russian Federation in February 2022.

Whereas United States citizen Brittney Griner is a Women's National Basketball 
        Association (referred to in this preamble as ``WNBA'') player;
Whereas Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle, are residents of Phoenix, 
        Arizona, and are well respected leaders in that community;
Whereas Brittney Griner was raised in Houston, Texas, and many of her family 
        members live in Texas;
Whereas after a prolific collegiate career at Baylor University, Brittney Griner 
        was selected with the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the 
        Phoenix Mercury, where she has played her entire WNBA career;
Whereas during her WNBA career, Brittney Griner has been named the WNBA 
        Defensive Player of the Year twice and has been a WNBA All Star 7 times;
Whereas Brittney Griner represented the United States as a member of the United 
        States Women's National Basketball Team at 2 Olympics, where she helped 
        Team USA win gold medals in each appearance;
Whereas Brittney Griner is an international figure who has played 7 seasons of 
        professional basketball in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA 
        off season;
Whereas Brittney Griner is a renowned leader in the LGBTQ+ community;
Whereas Brittney Griner has made a difference in the lives of many Arizonans, 
        including through her annual ``BG's Heart and Sole Shoe Drive'', which 
        has provided shoes to nearly 2,000 people who are experiencing 
        homelessness in the Phoenix area;
Whereas the Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Rescue Mission are continuing this 
        important effort to clothe the homeless in Brittney Griner's absence;
Whereas Brittney Griner was presumably detained by Russian authorities at 
        Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport in Khimki, 
        Russia, on February 17, 2022, and accused of carrying vape cartridges 
        with hashish oil;
Whereas Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Brittney Griner for 
        the alleged transportation of drugs, a crime which can carry a prison 
        sentence of up to 10 years;
Whereas, on March 17, 2022, a Russian court denied a request for bail and house 
        arrest for Brittney Griner, and has since extended her detention until 
        July 2, 2022;
Whereas the Department of State has determined that Brittney Griner is 
        ``wrongfully detained''; and
Whereas the Biden Administration has pledged to return Brittney Griner back to 
        the United States as soon as possible: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        immediately release Brittney Griner;
            (2) urges the United States, in all interactions with the 
        Government of the Russian Federation, to raise the case of 
        Brittney Griner and to press for her release;
            (3) expresses the continued support for Paul Whelan and all 
        prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation;
            (4) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        provide consular access to Brittney Griner while she remains in 
        detention;
            (5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        respect the human rights of Brittney Griner; and
            (6) expresses support to the family of Brittney Griner and 
        a commitment to bringing her home.
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