US basketball star Brittney Griner has returned to America after being freed in a prisoner exchange with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the ‘Merchant of Death’.
The 32-year-old WNBA star flew to San Antonio, Texas.
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Roger D. Carstens said, “So happy to have Brittney back on American soil. Welcome home BG!”
Mrs. Griner she was arrested in February when customs officers said they found vape containers containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
She had pleaded guilty at trial saying she had used the cartridges to relieve pain from sports injuries and had made an “honest mistake”.
However, a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison in August.
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Griner’s wife: ‘Today the family is complete’
President of the United States Joe Biden he said Ms Griner was held under “intolerable circumstances” and went through a “terrible ordeal”.
Ms. Griner “represents the best of America,” she added.
President Biden has insisted that the United States has not forgotten Paul Whelana former US Marine who remains in Russian custody.
A senior US official said the administration had done everything it could to get Mr Whelan out, but “they’re treating him differently. They say it’s an espionage case. They said the choice was one of two [Griner] or none”.
He did not mention the price the United States paid for Ms. Griner’s freedom: the release of convicted arms dealer Bout.
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Joe Biden says Brittney Griner ‘lost months of her life’
Ms Griner’s wife Cherelle said she was ‘overwhelmed with emotions’ after going through ‘one of the darkest times of my life’.
“So today my family is whole, but as you all know, there are so many other families that aren’t whole.”
The Griner-Bout exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.
“The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” reads a statement.
Pressure on Washington for the Griner case
For nearly two decades, Bout has been one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, selling weapons to rogue states, rebel groups and murderous warlords in Africa, Asia and South America.
Ever since his capture in an elaborate American operation, the Russian state has wanted to bring him back.
President Biden’s deal to release Bout highlights the growing pressure his administration has faced to bring Ms. Griner home, particularly after the recent conclusion of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
Ms Griner’s detention was widely condemned by activists, including the former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he wants to fly to Russia in an attempt to free the US basketball player.
The Texan athlete revealed her fears she could be in prison “forever” in a letter to President Biden on US Independence Day.
She wrote: “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any achievements, I am terrified that I might be here forever.
“On July 4th, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran.
“It hurts to think about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
