Brittney Griner: Released from Russian Detention

After almost a year in Russian detention, Brittney Griner has been released to come back to the US. Joe Biden came forward today, December 8th, and stated that Brittney Griner is on a plane on the way home. The administration has negotiated a prisoner exchange and swapped Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer with a 25-year sentence, for Griner. 

If you are unfamiliar with Brittney Griner, she is a WNBA player for the Phoenix Mercury who has been held in Russia since February. Griner towers at 6’9 and is an impressive player being selected as an All-Star Player in the WNBA seven times and was also the first openly gay athlete to make an endorsement deal with Nike. 

In February this year, Griner was flying into Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg when she was detained by airport authorities in Russia. They had discovered she had cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage which is illegal in Russia. Closely following Griner’s arrest, Russia invaded Ukraine, making Griner potential leverage for Russia against the United States. 

Griner pled guilty at her trial in July, although she claims packing the cartridges was an accident and her doctors later weighed in saying Griner has a medical prescription for cannabis products. The Russian court still found her guilty of smuggling illegal drugs and sentenced her to nine years in an exile colony which is a site for prisoners to be separated from the general public. Talk has since swirled around about a prisoner exchange between Russia and the US for her release. 

Biden is now refocusing on gaining freedom for Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years now.