Cherelle Griner, on the left, and Brittney Griner, on the appropriate, communicate onstage throughout the 54th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

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Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Cherelle Griner, on the left, and Brittney Griner, on the appropriate, communicate onstage throughout the 54th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

In one in every of her first public appearances since being launch from Russian jail, WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner spoke on the 54th NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, thanking individuals for his or her assist and calling for the return of Americans nonetheless detained overseas.

“It feels so good to be here, especially with my beautiful, amazing wife and with all of y’all here today. I want to thank everyone,” Griner stated on stage. “Let’s keep fighting to bring home every American still detained overseas.”

Griner and her spouse, Cherelle Griner, have been welcomed onto the stage by award ceremony host and actress Queen Latifah, who applauded the couple for his or her resilience.

“As we gather here tonight in the spirit of overcoming adversity, I want to take this moment to recognize someone who has done just that,” Queen Latifah stated.

On common, 34 Americans are wrongfully detained by overseas governments annually — that quantity is almost seven instances better than the common in comparison with a decade in the past, based on a examine by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, a bunch that advocates for the discharge of Americans who’re held hostage or wrongfully detained.

According to the group, there are at the least 60 Americans who’re at the moment held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas. A majority of these detained are in Iran, China, Venezuela, Syria and Russia.

While almost two thirds of people who find themselves wrongfully detained are finally launched, rescued or escape, the report discovered that just about a 3rd are nonetheless apprehended and almost half of these currently detained have been held for greater than 4 years.

Wrongful detention was as soon as a follow primarily carried out by terrorist organizations or different militant teams. But over time, it has more and more turn out to be a instrument of adversarial governments, the examine stated.

Last February, Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, traveled to Moscow to play offseason in a Russian basketball league. Griner was detained on drug charges upon arrival after customs officers discovered vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her baggage. Griner has stated the oil was legally prescribed to handle continual ache points, and that any violation of Russian legislation was unintentional.

After nearly 10 months of tense negotiations between the U.S. and Russia, Griner landed on American soil on Dec. 8 as a part of a prisoner swap. In change for Griner’s launch, the U.S. handed over the convicted Russian arms vendor Viktor Bout.

On the day of Griner’s return, President Biden stated Griner was in “good spirits,” however wanted time to heal from the traumatic expertise of being wrongfully detained.

At a press convention, Biden recalled a earlier letter from Griner again in July whereas she was nonetheless in Russian jail, which struck an identical word to her plea Saturday on the awards ceremony.

Biden stated, “She requested a simple, quote, ‘Please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees.'”