American basketball player Brittney Griner, 31, has been detained in Russia since February. Now he is asking US President Joe Biden for help.

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On February 17 this year, a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brittney Griner was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport for possession of cannabis oil.

Laughing now risks ten years in prison, according to BBC. His trial began on July 1.

In a letter sent to the White House, he immediately asked Joe Biden for help.

– While I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic costumes or achievements, I fear that I will have to stay here forever, Griner wrote in the letter.

A Griner representative has shared excerpts of the letter with the press. CNN is one of the media that reproduces the Griner prayer on the same day that its citizens celebrate America’s Independence Day.

– On July 4th, my family usually celebrates those who have fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts me to think about how I usually celebrate freedom, it has taken on a whole new meaning for me this year, the letter further states.

The same day the trial began, Cherelle Griner, wife of Brittney Griner, criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to bring her home. In the letter, Griner asked the president not to forget him and other Americans held captive outside the United States.

– Please do everything to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020. I voted for you. I trust you. I still have a lot to achieve with my freedom, so you can still help me win back, he wrote, before adding:

– I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It saddens me to think of the suffering they are going through now. I thank you for whatever you can do to bring me home.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Friday that US officials were present during the trial in Moscow.

– We – and I personally – have no higher priority than bringing him and other wrongly detained Americans, including Paul Whelan, home. We won’t stop until they are home with their loved ones, Blinken wrote on Twitter.

Whelan, a former Marine, has been detained in Russia since December 2018. In 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

Although Griner’s trial had to end on acquittal, the Russian government has the option to overturn the verdict and keep him in jail, the BBC writes.