A mural featuring WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was unveiled in Washington, D.C., in an effort to draw attention to those who are being “wrongfully detained” abroad.
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign sponsored the Georgetown-area mural that features, along with Griner, 17 others who are detained abroad.
“I had no idea this was happening,” artist Isaac Campbell told USA Today. “I had no idea we had this big of a crisis. I had no idea about the severity of what these families go through. We are giving a voice to the voiceless and reclaiming a public space for art.”
A new mural in Washington D.C. featuring @TheWNBPA member, Brittney Griner, is being unveiled by the @BOFHcampaign.
Can’t be at 3125 M Street in DC at 11:30 AM ET TODAY? Watch live ➡️ https://t.co/pHmmGz35Bh #BringThemHome #WeAreBG
?: Isaac Campbell pic.twitter.com/xYwbGS5LF1
— NBPA (@TheNBPA) July 20, 2022
There are currently 64 publicly known U.S. citizens who are detained abroad, according to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation.
“[Griner’s] placement on the wall was both strategic – because of her recognizability,” Campbell said, “but most importantly, it was the expression on her face and the inviting nature that she says, ‘Come in and see these people that are now forever connected to me.'”
WATCH: ATHLETES USE ESPYS AS PLATFORM TO ADVOCATE BRITTNEY GRINER’S RELEASE
Griner was arrested on Feb. 17 in Russia for alleged cannabis possession. Last week, her lawyers told the Russian court that she had a prescription for medical marijuana for a chronic injury prior to her arrest. The WNBA star recently pleaded guilty to drug charges and faces a 10-year prison sentence.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry blasted the United States for characterizing Griner as being wrongfully detained, saying it shows disrespect for Russian law.
“If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was smuggling drugs, and she does not deny this, then this should be commensurate with our Russian, local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.
The State Department designated Griner as “wrongfully detained” in May, allowing her case to be handled by the office of the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
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In addition to Griner, the Bring Our Families Home mural includes Emad Shargi, Luke Denman, Alirio Zambrano, Morad Tahbaz, Mark Swidan, Jose Angel Pereira, Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Matthew Heath, Majd Kamalmaz, Airan Berry, Paul Whelan, Shahab Dalili, Kai Li, and Paul Rusesabagina.
