Basketball Star Brittney Griner Arrives In US After Prisoner Swap With Russia

Brittney Griner had been in detention in Russia since February, when two vape cartridges, with small amounts of cannabis oil, were found in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Brittney Griner gets out of a plane after landing at the JBSA-Kelly Field Annex runway on December 9, 2022 in San Antonio.

Source : AFP

American basketball player Brittney Griner arrived in Texas after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange from nearly 10 months in detention in Russia, reported the Guardian. She was released from prison on Thursday in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout who was held in US prison for 12 years. 

A two-time Olympic gold medallist, Griner was held imprisoned in Russia after being convicted of possessing and smuggling narcotics.

After the Baylor University All-American and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star Griner’s release, US President Joe Biden said that Griner was safe and on a flight home from the United Arab Emirates. "I'm glad to say Brittney's in good spirits... she needs time and space to recover," he said at the White House.

It is to be noted that Brittney Griner had been in detention in Russia since February, when two vape cartridges, with small amounts of cannabis oil, were found in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

While pleading guilty, Griner said that she had carried the cannabis unintentionally as she had packed in a hurry. 

Russia's foreign ministry confirmed the swap and said “The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland.”

The US government, willing to free Bout, nicknamed ‘the merchant of death’, charged with trying to sell arms to be used against the country, hints at the rising pressure that his administration has faced to get Griner home.

Brittney Griner’s case got unprecedented attention as she is a high-profile, black, gay athlete, and her detention in a country, that is often hostile towards the LGBTQ community, triggered widespread concern.

While Griner returned back home, Washington failed to secure freedom for another US citizen, Paul Whelan who has been jailed for nearly four years. 

As per the Guardian report, Griner was seen getting off a plane at joint base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.