Brittney Griner's Release from Russia
On December 8th, 2022, WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian detainment in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
WNBA all star Brittney Griner was released on December 8th from a 294 day long detainment in Russia. Griner was in Russia to play basketball when the Russian government allegedly caught her with marijuana concentrate in her luggage. Does the fact that she is tall, black, and gay have anything to do with her detainment? Perhaps.
Brittney Griner (age 32) currently plays basketball for the Phoenix Mercury. She has won two Olympic Gold Medals and is a six-time WNBA all star. She led the US Olympic team to victory in 2016 and in 2020. She has been playing basketball since high school and played all through college, leading her to be recruited for the Phoenix Mercury in 2013. She is 6ft 9 and is married to Cherelle Griner.
Many WNBA players play in different parts of the world during the offseason as the salary for a WNBA player is only a fraction of the salary of their male counterparts. Griner had been playing with the Russian Premier League and was traveling to play with them when the detainment occurred (Ganguli, Abrams, Bubola). In February of 2022, Griner traveled to Russia, and Russian customs officials found cartridges in her luggage containing less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil (a substance that is illegal in Russia). After she was caught, she was convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs into Russia. On February 28th, Russia issued a large-scale attack on Ukraine, making negotiations between the US and Russia much more complicated. The US government tried for months to force a negotiation for Griner's freedom to no avail. After pleading guilty at her trial and explaining the circumstances of her detainment , Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a penal colony. Her appeal of her conviction was denied and she was then transferred to a penal colony in Russia (Albaroudi, Gonzalez, McCarriston). While there, she received hundreds of encouraging messages and letters from fans all over the country.
On December 1st, the US and Russia agreed to a one for one exchange, with Russia releasing Griner while the U.S. releases Viktor Bout, an arms dealer who was 10 years into a 25 year long sentence on charges of terrorism. Bout, known commonly as the “merchant of death” was known for selling weapons (specifically, anti-aircraft missiles) and aiding a terrorist organization known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (Viktor Bout: Who is the Merchant of Death?).
Although Griner has been released, another prisoner is still in captivity in Russia. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine, was arrested for espionage in Russia, has been captive for almost 3 years. The U.S. government tried to arrange a trade that would get both Whelan and Griner back, however the Russain govenment made it clear that they would only get Griner back.
Griner has since stated that she is extremely thankful not only to President Biden and the U.S. government, but to all of the people who sent her messages during her detention. She went on to state that she will be playing basketball with the Phoenix Mercury in 2023. She has also declared that she will do everything in her power to get Paul Whelan and other detained American citizens home (Scribner).
Brittney Griner (age 32) currently plays basketball for the Phoenix Mercury. She has won two Olympic Gold Medals and is a six-time WNBA all star. She led the US Olympic team to victory in 2016 and in 2020. She has been playing basketball since high school and played all through college, leading her to be recruited for the Phoenix Mercury in 2013. She is 6ft 9 and is married to Cherelle Griner.
Many WNBA players play in different parts of the world during the offseason as the salary for a WNBA player is only a fraction of the salary of their male counterparts. Griner had been playing with the Russian Premier League and was traveling to play with them when the detainment occurred (Ganguli, Abrams, Bubola). In February of 2022, Griner traveled to Russia, and Russian customs officials found cartridges in her luggage containing less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil (a substance that is illegal in Russia). After she was caught, she was convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs into Russia. On February 28th, Russia issued a large-scale attack on Ukraine, making negotiations between the US and Russia much more complicated. The US government tried for months to force a negotiation for Griner's freedom to no avail. After pleading guilty at her trial and explaining the circumstances of her detainment , Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a penal colony. Her appeal of her conviction was denied and she was then transferred to a penal colony in Russia (Albaroudi, Gonzalez, McCarriston). While there, she received hundreds of encouraging messages and letters from fans all over the country.
On December 1st, the US and Russia agreed to a one for one exchange, with Russia releasing Griner while the U.S. releases Viktor Bout, an arms dealer who was 10 years into a 25 year long sentence on charges of terrorism. Bout, known commonly as the “merchant of death” was known for selling weapons (specifically, anti-aircraft missiles) and aiding a terrorist organization known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (Viktor Bout: Who is the Merchant of Death?).
Although Griner has been released, another prisoner is still in captivity in Russia. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine, was arrested for espionage in Russia, has been captive for almost 3 years. The U.S. government tried to arrange a trade that would get both Whelan and Griner back, however the Russain govenment made it clear that they would only get Griner back.
Griner has since stated that she is extremely thankful not only to President Biden and the U.S. government, but to all of the people who sent her messages during her detention. She went on to state that she will be playing basketball with the Phoenix Mercury in 2023. She has also declared that she will do everything in her power to get Paul Whelan and other detained American citizens home (Scribner).
Works Cited
Albaroudi, Wajih, et al. “Brittney Griner Situation Explained: WNBA All-Star Released from Russian Custody after Prisoner Swap - CBSSports.Com.” CBSSports.Com, https://www.facebook.com/cbssports, 9 Dec. 2022, https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/brittney-griner-situation-explained-wnba-all-star-released-from-russian-custody-after-prisoner-swap/.
Gangull, Tania, et al. “What We Know About Brittney Griner’s Release From Russia.” New York Times, New York Times, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/article/brittney-griner-russia.html.
Scribner, Herb. “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Says She Will Play for Phoenix Mercury in 2023 Season.” Axios, Axios, 16 Dec. 2022, https://www.axios.com/2022/12/16/brittney-griner-phoenix-mercury-2023-wbna.
“Viktor Bout: Who Is the Merchant of Death? - BBC News.” BBC News, BBC News, 20 Aug. 2010, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11036569.
Albaroudi, Wajih, et al. “Brittney Griner Situation Explained: WNBA All-Star Released from Russian Custody after Prisoner Swap - CBSSports.Com.” CBSSports.Com, https://www.facebook.com/cbssports, 9 Dec. 2022, https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/brittney-griner-situation-explained-wnba-all-star-released-from-russian-custody-after-prisoner-swap/.
Gangull, Tania, et al. “What We Know About Brittney Griner’s Release From Russia.” New York Times, New York Times, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/article/brittney-griner-russia.html.
Scribner, Herb. “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Says She Will Play for Phoenix Mercury in 2023 Season.” Axios, Axios, 16 Dec. 2022, https://www.axios.com/2022/12/16/brittney-griner-phoenix-mercury-2023-wbna.
“Viktor Bout: Who Is the Merchant of Death? - BBC News.” BBC News, BBC News, 20 Aug. 2010, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11036569.