US basketball player Brittney Griner (32), imprisoned in Russia, is free again. The professional athlete was sentenced in August by a Russian court to nine years in prison for drug possession. She has now been released as part of a prisoner swap. It was exchanged for the Russian arms dealer Viktor But (55), who was arrested in the United States, at Abu Dhabi airport. US President Joe Biden (80) confirmed via Twitter that he had spoken to Griner, that she was safe and that she was on a plane: “She’s on her way home.”
Negotiations lasted for several months. Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in mid-February 2022 after small amounts of cannabis were discovered in her luggage. The 0.5 grams that it is said to have been considered illegal drug possession. Griner pleaded guilty and the Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison.
However, her lawyer explained in court that the cannabis oil was recommended to Griner as a pain reliever. The athlete was issued a certificate for this. The USA strongly criticized the procedure, among other things because of the high sentence. The White House has been fighting for Griner’s release ever since. For Joe Biden, the case would always have been a priority, as his spokeswoman announced in July, among other things.
Russia finally agreed to the prisoner exchange. Russian arms dealer Bout was serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison. He was convicted in 2012 by a New York federal court of conspiracy to kill US citizens, kill US government officials and shoot down airplanes.
Griner has been part of the Phoenix Mercury roster in the North American professional league Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2013.
