Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is in United States custody after a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, President Biden confirmed Thursday morning.
Phoenix Mercury center According to the report, the exchange has been in the works for the past two weeks and Biden gave the final go-ahead for the swap. Biden spoke with Griner on the phone and Griner's wife, Cherelle, was at the White House. Biden said that “past few months have been hell for Brittney” but that she was in good spirits.
"We never forgot about Brittney," Biden said."I'm glad to be able to say Brittney is in good spirits. She's relieved to finally be heading home, and the fact remains that she's lost months of her life, experienced a needless trauma. She deserves space, privacy and time with her loved ones to recover and heal from her time being wrongfully detained."
"She wrote to me back in July. She didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release from day one. She requested a simple, quote, 'please don't forget about me and the other American detainees,'" Biden added. “Today I'm just standing here, overwhelmed with emotions,”Cherrelle Griner said. “But the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration.”
Biden said the United States is still working to bring home Paul Whelan, who has been in Russia since 2018 on charges of espionage.Griner, an eight-time WNBA all-star center and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February.
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