Jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner was released on Thursday after spending almost a year in the Russian prison. Griner was released in exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer, also known as the "Merchant of Death" and had reportedly been in US jail for 12 years.
Griner was arrested from the Moscow airport in February for allegedly carrying cannabis oil.
"I'm glad to say Brittney's in good spirits... she needs time and space to recover," US President Joe Biden said after the prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi. Biden added that Griner was being flown back to her home and termed her detention as "unjust". "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. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along," Biden was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Biden expressed regret over US Marine veteran Paul Whelan's continued detention in Russia since 2018. "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," Biden said. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on charges of espionage. The US has maintained that his detention is "wrongful".
Here is all you need to know about the US basketball star and the high-level prisoner exchange between the US and Russia:
Who is Brittney Griner?
Thrity-two-year-old Griner is a US basketball star and has been a two-time Olympic winner. She plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. She also played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas. She led the United States women's national basketball team to victory at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She won the second gold at 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo where she led the US team.
Born in 1990, Griner's father was a Vietnam war veteran who later became a police officer in Houston, the BBC reported.
In 2013, when Griner was 22, she came out as gay. She is among the most prominent LGBT athletes in the world. "It was hard, just being picked on for being different, just being bigger, my sexuality, everything," she had told AP in an interview then. She told the news agency that she wanted to work with kids and "bring recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community."
Why was she arrested?
Griner was arrested from Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow in February this year for allegedly carrying cannabis oil. According to The Guardian, Griner pleaded guilty in July and said that she had no criminal intent, adding that the canisters' in her luggage were due to "hasty packing".
In August she was sentenced to jail while the Russian prosecutors demanded over nine years of jail for her. The Guardian quoted Russian prosecutors saying that her arrest on drug charges was "fully proven" as they demanded over nine years of jail and a large fine as punishment for her.
During the trial, she told the court that she had made an "honest mistake". "That is why I plead guilty to my charges but I had no intent of breaking the law," The Guardian quoted her as saying.
What has US said?
News outlets like CNN and The Guardian reported that Griner's release was on Biden's top priority amid underlying tensions with Russia. CNN reported that Biden personally dialed Griner's partner, Cherelle Griner, to inform her that she was being released from Russian prison.
"President Biden keeps his promises. And today he fulfilled a deeply important promise to bring Brittney Griner home to a family that loves her, a team that misses her, and a country that has marveled at her strength and courage," White House Press Secretary Jean Pierre said in a press briefing.
Pierre added that Griner's safe return was secured after months of "painstaking negotiations". "Officials from the White House, the State Department, and across the administration worked tirelessly and relentlessly to see this moment through," Pierre told the media.
"She represents the best of America," Pierre said.
Griner's wife spoke alongside Biden and thanked everyone who helped secure her release. "Today my family is whole," Cherelle said as vice president Kamala Harris stood behind her. "BG and I will remain committed to bringing every American home," Cherelle said.
Who is Paul Whelan and why is he in jail?
Whelan is a former United States Marine and has US, British, Irish and Canadian citizenship. Arrested in Russia in Deceber 2018, he was senetenced to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage in 2020. Whelan's family and the US government have denied the charges pressed against Whelan by Russian authorities. At the tie of his arrest in Russia, he was the director of global security and investigations in Michigan.
"Any time an American comes home, it's wonderful news … We do worry about what's in Paul's future. I think it's become clear that the US doesn't have any concessions that Russia wants for Paul," David was quoted as saying by CNN.
In 2020, he was convicted of spying. BBC reported that when Whelan was arrested, FSB, the Russian security agency, found a USB drive in his pocket that contained the "classified information."
His family has reiterated that Whelan was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding when he was arrested by Russian authorities. A BBC report from June 2020 quoted Whelan saying in the courtroom, "Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission. In reality, they abducted Mr Bean on holiday."