Cornyn, Colleagues Call on Russia to Release Brittney Griner from Wrongful Detention
Bipartisan Senate Resolution Urges U.S. Government to Press for WNBA Player’s Release, Supports All Prisoners Unjustly Imprisoned in the Russian Federation
WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today led a bipartisan Senate resolution with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) calling on the Russian government to immediately release U.S. citizen Brittney Griner from her wrongful detention and urging the U.S. government to press for the WNBA player’s release in all its interactions with the Russian government.
In addition to demanding action to end the five-month-long wrongful detention of Griner, the resolution also expresses support for U.S. citizen Paul Whelan and all those unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation.
In addition to Sens. Wyden and Cornyn, the resolution was cosponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Robert Casey (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The Senate resolution is a companion to a similar resolution already passed by the House.
Full text of the resolution can be viewed here.