Brittany Griner is free!
According to multiple reports, the WNBA star has been released from Russian custody following a successful prisoner swap that swapped the former champion for infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Butt.
BREAKING: Brittany Griner was released in a prisoner swap and is currently in U.S. custody. pic.twitter.com/zZlIxNYAEo
— WSLAM (@wslam) December 8, 2022
Greiner is currently in U.S. custody and will undergo medical evaluation in the United Arab Emirates. President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold a news conference with Greiner’s wife, Cherelle, at 8:30 a.m., according to the White House.
“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said Thursday morning at the White House. According to CNN,. “After months of unjust detention in Russia and being held in unbearable conditions, Britney will soon be reunited with her loved ones. She deserved to be there, always.”
Sheryl followed up on President Biden’s announcement, saying that after BG was released, “the family is back.”
“I stand here today overwhelmed with emotion, but the most important emotion I feel right now is my heartfelt gratitude to President Biden and his entire administration,” she said. According to ABC.
“Today is a happy day for me and my family,” she said.
Fromer and his American colleague Paul Whelan were not included in the prisoner swap. He is being held in Russia on espionage charges. The president said that excluding Whelan from the deal was “not a matter of choosing which Americans to bring in,” and criticized Russia for “handling Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s.”
U.S. officials said that releasing Greiner was “the only deal we could make,” and once it became clear that Russia would not trade Whelan, the U.S. accepted it, making it “a choice of either bringing Britney back or bringing nothing back,” the official said.
I just spoke to Brittany Griner.
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
Greiner was released in August, months after being convicted of drug possession and smuggling. The controversial ordeal began in February, when Russian authorities found her in possession of vape cartridges containing hashish oil (marijuana) and arrested her. After her conviction was upheld, Greiner spent time in a harsh Russian prison.
