for most people it's hard to imagine what W.N.B.A. Star,
Brittney Griner is experiencing as an american detained
in a foreign country. But Jeff harper isn't most people,
I was just thinking if more people knew my story and
what we went through in general then they would get a
better understanding of what Britney may be
experiencing in Russia. In january 2020 harper, a
former college basketball player at Iowa Wesleyan
university traveled to china to compete in a series of
games. The goal landing in international basket
contract. I was trying to get back into the game.
Instead he landed in the custody of chinese authorit
for roughly eight months after breaking up an assault
he had witnessed while walking one night in Shenzhen
harper says the assailant left but later appeared at a
hospital and eventually died. The chinese government
took harper into custody while they determined whether
to charge him with causing death by negligence. I got
very lucky. I actually found out where he was before
the embassy or his even his lawyer harbor spent much of
his time in an R.S.D.L. Which means residentia
surveillance at a designated location covers of Brown
hasn't been watched as I've been here six months inside
this concrete room with a mattress on the floor in a
single window with bars on it, harper would wait for
chinese authorities to reach a decision. There was
about eight weeks that I didn't hear from anyone in my
lawyer didn't get a chance to talk to victoria or
anything like that. So I actually thought everyone
forgot about. As for Brittney Griner, her Russian
lawyers regularly meet with the W.N.B.A. Star in the U.S.
State Department says the consulate officer has visited
her. NPR reported she shares a cell with two other
women were also facing drug charges. A few weeks ago,
grinder's wife posted on instagram writing, I miss your
voice, I miss your presence, harper's fiancee vict
via Real was eventually able to speak with him once the
chinese authorities begin granting him occasional
access to his phone to call home, we never knew when it
would be. Sometimes he would call me at four o'clock in
the morning, my time, one o'clock in the morning, six
p.m. On the outside via Real says she scrambled to
learn as much as she could about chinese law and any
avenues that could bring harper home. I just worked day
and night calling everybody tha I could on the inside
harper tried to find ways to pass the time eating a
mostly rice based diet. He says he lost £45 but for the
most part of my interaction with other here was was
very limited. I did a lot of um by the way exercises
during that time. Um and watch the planes go by. There
was a was a big one for me and praying, you know. S
sometimes it seems like the days were never in now,
safely back in the States harper and his family said
they want the U.S. Government to do more when it comes
to getting folks home, do what you can to bring your
citizens back to their home country to their families.
If you're really going to protect your people, protect
them at all costs. Especially when it comes to the
embassies involvement would be if um you know, if
we had a little bit better system to where you know
where to start, number one and number two when you did
call over to the embassy, because that's gonna be your
starting point um that they had more choices options
and more information in Griner situation. Fellow
players and activists have been mostly declining to
comment through fear publicity could hinder
negotiations to get her out of Russia. The harper
family says they believe media attention would have
been helpful in their case but acknowledged concerns,
it could have backfired if it was seen as negative by
china, I feel like if I would have been able to get it
out there more than um it would have been easier for me
to get him out, definitely got to get the word out
there. It does help. That pressure helps. It helps as
long as it's positive pressure because if it's negati
it's gonna always beg for as for Griner harbor says he
hopes she knows that people have not forgotten her. I
understand you may have some built up anger for the
situation that's currently goin on. Just know that
your family loves you. There's people out there that's
really for you to come home. It's tough. But tough
people don't break, you know, you gotta stay mentally
focused. They're trying to break you mentally. You
can't let that happen. If they see that they can do
that, then they succeeded. You know, let them win. And
as for her family, just keep fighting. Do not give up,
keep fighting. Don't give up, no matter what um no
matter what you hear or you know what news you get.