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After a Russian court found Brittney Griner drug crimeChairperson Joe Biden vowed that his administration would “work tirelessly and pursue every possible way” to bring her home. Those efforts have paid off. On December 8, 2022, Related press confirmed that Brittney would be released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia. US will release Russian arms dealer Viktor’s fever in exchange for Brittney’s release.
President Biden also confirmed Brittney was safely released on Twitter. “I recently spoke with Brittney Griner,” he wrote. “She is safe. She is on the plane. She’s on her way home.” He also posted pictures with Brittney’s wife, who was with the President and Vice President, Kamala Harrisbecause the release of the prisoner has been confirmed.
Before Britney was convicted, there were talk about her participation in a prisoner exchange. Reports claim the US is ready to trade Viktor’s fevera convicted Russian arms dealer, for Brittney and a former Marine Paul Whelan. Whelan, now a security executive for a company, was arrested in December 2018 on charges of espionage (Whelan insists he is innocent.) He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 On August 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia is “ready to discuss this topic” on trade, according to Axios.
Before the trial, the US State Department listed Britney as “wrong detention,” a term President Biden used in his statement after her conviction. “Today, American citizen Britney Griner received a prison sentence, once again reminding the world that it is: Russia is wrongly holding Britney in custody,” he said in his statement.
The film begins on February 17, when Brittney is arrested at Moscow airport. The basketball star traveled to the country to play for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA season and was taken into custody after authorities charged her with drug trafficking. Brittney allegedly had less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. In the end, she said she accidentally packed vape boxes in her luggage because she was in a hurry to make her flight. Russia continued to hold Griner for several months until her trial on July 1.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges and asked for leniency in court. “Considering the nature of her case, the amount of substance is negligible and [Griner’s] personality and history of making a positive contribution to global and Russian sports, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentences,” the law said. her lawyer said in a statement. CNN. Her attorney also noted that samples taken from Britney did not show any traces of drugs.
The Russian courts eventually sentenced her to nine years. “We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that courts should be fair to all people regardless of nationality,” her attorney said in a statement, each CNN. “The court completely ignored all the defense evidence and most importantly the confession. This contradicts current legal practice. In terms of quality (not to mention professional defects) and complaints, the verdict is completely unreasonable. We will definitely file an appeal.”
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