Brittney Griner: FREED From Russian Penal Colony Following Prisoner Alternate!

Again in February, Brittney Griner was arrested at an airport outdoors of Moscow after customs brokers discovered two small vials of hash oil in her baggage.

The WNBA star was instantly detained, and because the world regarded on horror, Griner was convicted in a sham trial and sentenced to 9 years in a Russian penal colony.

Right now, her lengthy nightmare got here to an finish, when the US organized Griner’s freedom in change for the discharge of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms vendor who has been imprisoned within the US since 2011.

In keeping with a report from CBS Information, Griner was launched to US officers in Abu Dhabi and is presently aboard a flight certain for San Antonio.

Griner’s scenario started to look hopeless after she was transferred from a temporary holding center to a remote Russian penal colony again in August.

However earlier right this moment, President Joe Biden delighted supporters with the announcement that the White Home had organized for Griner’s fast launch and return to the US.

“She’s secure. She’s on a airplane. She’s on her method residence,” Biden informed reporters.

“After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held underneath insupportable circumstances, Brittney will quickly be again within the arms of her family members and she or he ought to have been there all alongside,” the president continued.

“It is a day we’ve labored towards for a very long time. We by no means stopped pushing for her launch.”

In a press convention with Griner’s spouse, Cherelle Griner, State Division Spokesperson Ned Value mentioned that US officers will work with Griner focus on “what she wants” as soon as she touches down in Texas.

“She could search the help that the US goes to offer, and we’re going to make all of that out there to her,” Value informed reporters.

“How lengthy she takes benefit of that help, that could be a query for Brittney Griner, it’s a query for Cherelle,” he continued.

“However it’s going to be an ongoing dialog now we have with them.”

The change for Griner’s launch was met with some criticism, significantly from those that felt that the White Home additionally ought to have labored to free Paul Whelan, a US Marine who has been in jail in Russia for the previous 4 years.

“Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah,” tweeted Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

Parsons later retweeted the president’s announcement with a remark studying, “We nonetheless not voting for you!”

The NFL star has since walked again his criticism:

“My final tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner. I’m tremendous completely satisfied she’s again residence as she needs to be.

“I simply have household who’ve served and it’s loopy to me the President wouldn’t convey him residence too. I’m the furthest factor from a trump supporter however I’m not a fan of Biden both.”

At press time, Griner had not but spoken publicly about her launch.

We may have additional updates on this growing story as extra data turns into out there.

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