Brittney Griner released from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealers
WNBA star Brittney Griner, after being jailed in Russia for months for a small amount of cannabis, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner, who plays for Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at a Russian airport on February 17 and later pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis cartridges in her luggage a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
She eventually faced nine years in prison for 0.7 grams of weed: “[Ms. Griner] bought two cartridges for personal use containing 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of hash oil, totaling 0.702 grams,” the Russian news agency TASS said. Griner was transferred to a Russian penal colony last month.
Griner’s case is a focal point for debate amid the thousands of other Americans jailed on cannabis-related charges in the United States and beyond. Five months of diplomacy and fraudulent messages by Russian officials finally came to an end.
“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said at the White House, along with Griner’s wife Cherelle, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released by Russian news outlets that the swap took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout was flown home. Last week, a senior Russian official said a deal was underway, as did Biden.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said Nov. 18 there was new activity related to a possible prisoner swap, but people generally remained skeptical. Tensions remain high given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
However, the result is bittersweet for people whose family members are incarcerated on cannabis-related charges.
Griner release has its price
Griner’s Release Comes at a Price: To secure Griner’s release, Biden ordered that Bout, known as the “dealer of death,” be released and returned to Russia as a condition. Biden signed a commutation order that relieved Bout of his 25-year federal sentence.
Bout is a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel who has been described by the US Department of Justice as one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world. Bout’s fingerprint can be seen in the supply of missiles and weapons in violent wars in Afghanistan, Colombia, Congo and the 2011 ouster of the Gaddafi government in Libya.
Frankly, the fact that 0.7 grams of weed is considered equivalent is outrageous.
CBS News reports that according to former Moscow ambassador John Sullivan, Russian officials were fixated on freeing Bout or no deal was in order.
Bout was arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Thailand after an undercover operation by American agents in 2008. He was eventually found guilty of conspiring to kill Americans and sentenced to 25 years in prison about 10 years ago.
Bout was last imprisoned in a federal prison in Marion, Illinois, prior to his release.
Free other prisoners
As thousands of other cannabis prisoners across the US and beyond await their own release, some celebrities pointed out the hypocrisy.
I’m glad Britney Griner has been released from a Russian prison on cannabis charges.
I am angry that Biden has not lifted a finger to free one of the tens of thousands of Americans in American jails on cannabis charges.
Especially if his crime tally got her there.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) December 8, 2022
US officials spent several months trying to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan man who has also been jailed in Russia since December 2018 on “espionage allegations,” both of which his family and the US government deny.
“We haven’t forgotten Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “We will continue to negotiate Paul’s release in good faith.”
But it’s important to remember that while still awaiting Paul’s release, Whelan’s own family is supporting the release. “The Biden administration made the right decision in bringing Ms. Griner home and making the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wouldn’t happen,” Paul’s brother David said in a statement.
Last April, the US traded Russian cocaine smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko for former American prisoner Trevor Reed.
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