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Brittney Griner Featured On Mural With Other Americans Detained Abroad

The WNBA star is facing ten years in a Russian prison.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been held in Russia since February. However, she is not the only American detained abroad. A Washington D.C. mural is honoring 18 wrongfully detained Americans.

The 15-foot tall mural was created by artist Isaac Campbell with photos provided by the Bring Our Families Home campaign, a non-profit dedicated to returning 64 known hostages back to the United States. See the mural below:

On Feb. 17, Griner, who had been in Russia playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg, was arrested by Russian Federal Customs Service at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow after agents said they found hashish oil vape cartridges in her luggage. She was charged with transporting a “significant amount,” or 0.702 grams, of cannabis oil, The Washington Post reports.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to drug charges but said she had no criminal intent.

According to ESPN, her lawyer Maria Blagovolina presented the court with a doctor's letter recommending she use cannabis to treat pain. Her lawyer said, "The attending physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medical cannabis. The permission was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health." To further prove she was not transporting drugs, the defense also submitted tests that she had undergone an anti-doping check and no prohibited substances were found in her system.

If Griner is convicted of transporting drugs, she faces up to a decade in a Russian prison.

RELATED: Brittney Griner’s Wife, WNBA Players Association President, And More Call For Star’s Release

This week, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at securing the release of Griner and other Americans detained abroad whom the administration deems wrongfully detained.

The executive order says that “malicious actors,” including terrorist organizations, criminal groups and foreign governments seeking political leverage, are a threat to the global political system and the safety of Americans.

The order authorizes U.S. government agencies to impose sanctions on countries that wrongfully detained Americans, which could add new sanctions on Russia after its Ukraine invasion, according to Newsweek. It also allows government agencies to share information and intelligence they’ve gathered with the detainees’ families.

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