Brittney Griner was freed from prison in Russia and on her way home Thursday, President Joe Biden said at the White House.
The United States agreed to release imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Biden said, in a swap of prisoners that ends 10 months of detainment for Griner.
Photo: EPA-EFE
"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home," Biden said. "Held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along. This is a day we worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release. It took painstaking and intense negotiations."
From Russia, Griner landed in the UAE, Biden said Thursday.
"These past few months have been hell for Brittney and (wife) Cherelle," Biden said. "She's relieved to finally be heading home. The fact remains she's lost months of her love. She deserves space, privacy and time with her loved ones to recover and heal."
A two-time Gold medalist and active WNBA player with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner was detained at a Moscow airport on February 10. She admitted in a courtroom to bringing marijuana vape cartridges in her luggage, which was prescribed by her doctor.
"She wrote to me back in July, she didn't ask for special treatment," Biden said. "She requested a simple quote, 'Please don't forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.' We've never forgotten about Brittney."
Griner was convicted for criminal drug possession and sentenced to more than nine years in prison. Last month, Russian officials informed Griner's attorney she was relocated to a penal colony, where forced labor shifts for prisoners commonly last between 12 and 14 hours per day.
The deal to free Griner had been negotiated for several months. Russia's deputy foreign minister claimed that there was renewed "activity" in negotiations to free Griner one week before Thanksgiving. The US publicly denied those talks were active.
In initial public disclosures about negotiations, US officials insisted on the release of Michigan corporate security officer Paul Whalen, jailed since December 2018 in Russia on espionage charges. But the White House described the prisoner swap confirmed Thursday as "1 for 1," Bout for Griner.
Bout is a former Soviet Army lieutenant sentenced to 25 years for conspiring to sell tens of millions of dollars in arms that US officials said were used against Americans.
The 2022 WNBA season begins May 19.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS