Almost ten months after being arrested in Russia for illegal possession of drugs (cannabis oil), two-time Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner was released this Thursday (17), according to a publication by US President Joe Biden on Twitter White House official. According to him, the release of the WNBA star was possible after an unprecedented exchange of prisoners: the US government freed former member of the Russian army Vikor Bout, imprisoned for 10 years in the country, convicted of arms trafficking. The exchange of prisoners allegedly took place at Abu Dhabi airport, in the United Arab Emirates, which helped in the negotiations. “She’s safe, she’s on the plane on her way home,” said Joe Biden on the social network, after talking to Griner on the phone, alongside Cherelle Griner, the athlete’s wife. Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.She is safe.She is on a plane.She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT — President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022 The 32-year-old player was arrested on February 17 of this year at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil in her luggage . The substance is considered illegal in Russia for medicinal and recreational purposes. Griner’s arrest came shortly after the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. In August, the athlete was sentenced to nine years in prison, and had an appeal against the sentence denied in October. An hour after the announcement on the social network, Joe Biden made a statement at the White House on the release of Griner. “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s coming home after months of being wrongfully detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances. This is a day we’ve worked for a long time. We’ve never stopped pushing for her release,” he revealed. The president of the North American Women’s Basketball Association (WNBA, acronym in English), Cathy Engelbert, also published an official note on the entity’s website celebrating the release of the two-time Olympic champion. “There hasn’t been a day in the last ten months that we all haven’t had Brittney Griner on our minds and in our hearts and that has now turned into a collective wave of joy and relief in the knowledge that she will soon be reunited with her. family, the WNBA player community and their friends. BG displayed extraordinary courage and dignity in the face of overwhelming odds. The WNBA is immensely grateful to the Biden Administration, the President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and all those who contributed to bringing BG home today. Our hope is that Paul Whelan and all Americans who are wrongfully detained will return home safely and as soon as possible.”
Agência Brasil
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