Brittney Griner is on her way home as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA after being illegally detained for more than 10 months.
After 294 days, or 42 weeks of detention, #42 of the Phoenix Mercury and a WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is on a plane and on her way home from the United Arab Emirates as announced by US President Joe Biden on today (December 8 in USA).
Griner’s release is part of a high-profile prisoner exchange for the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, the so-called “Merchant of Death” who had been held in a US prison for 12 years, who landed back in Moscow according to Russian media reports.
“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances,” Biden said, reported The Guardian.
“Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.”
POTUS was seen in the Oval Office with Griner's wife Cherelle who praised the efforts of the Biden administration in securing her release saying, "I'm just standing here overwhelmed with emotions."
The Biden administration proposed a prisoner exchange in July, knowing that the nation had been pushing for the release of Bout since his arrest more than a decade ago.
"The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, reported BBC.
Despite the efficiency of Griner’s release, one particular detainee is disappointed in the lack of progress regarding his case.
Former US Marine Paul Whelan has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges and feels like the government has not been doing enough for his own release.
“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up,” Paul Whelan told CNN.
“I was arrested for a crime that never occurred,” Whelan insisted.
The President was apologetic and expressed his utmost regret to Whelan and his family after the former marine was not included in the prisoner exchange.
“Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”
Tags: #WNBA, #Russia, #prison