It is only because of your care, concern, and willingness to share this petition that it has reached over 65,000 signatures and garnered the interest of media outlets around the world. BBC News interviewed me this week about our efforts to #FreeBrittneyGriner. After the article dropped, none other than former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton retweeted it. And that is when things really took off!

It is because of you joining me in demanding that U.S. government officials prioritize Brittney Griner that movement is happening toward the only acceptable end: returning her safely to her family.

On Saturday, I discussed Brittney Griner’s case, and the reasons players compete overseas, on The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross, who asked if I thought this petition was working. 

Watch the interview.

Also, here’s the new information we learned this week:

• Russian courts have extended her pretrial detention to May 19. This does not mean Griner will be released on this date, but that investigators have requested more time to complete their investigation before proceeding to the next phase of the Russian legal system. (CNN)
• Griner’s legal team has visited her regularly, bringing her food and personal items. A member of a Russian prison monitoring agency has reported visiting Griner. “Her physical condition is fine, she’s holding up fine, and I’d even say that she is fairly calm and isn’t anxious,” said Ekaterina Kalugina, a member of a court monitoring organization in Russia. Kalugina has joined the U.S. State Department in demanding that Griner be granted access to consular services. (NBC News)

Although these reports are hopeful, we cannot rest on our laurels or even accept all statements at face value. For example, Kalugina did not bring a neutral interpreter with her to speak with Griner. She communicated through Griner’s cellmate—an unknown Russian individual who, for all we know, was placed as Griner’s cellmate for surveillance reasons.

We will rest when BG is safely reunited with her family.

What more you can do:

Tweet this petition with the hashtag #FreeBrittneyGriner. Despite our great work, it hasn't reached trending status on Twitter yet. #FreeBritney, when it related to Britney Spears, trended often. Call out Twitter for not making #FreeBrittneyGriner do the same.

Twitter has the power to both amplify and suppress, and it is clear which is happening in this case.