Brittney Griner, the American WNBA basketball star whose appeal against a Russian prison sentence is set to be heard next week, thanked her supporters on her 32nd birthday.
“All the support and love are definitely helping me,” Griner was quoted as saying by her lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, who spent several hours with her in the Moscow pre-trial detention center where she is being held.
“Today is of course a difficult day for Brittney,” said Blagovolina, who is representing Griner in court.
“Not only is this her birthday in jail away from her family, teammates, and friends, but she is very stressed in anticipation of the appeal hearing on October 25.”