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The United States and Russia swapped imprisoned American basketball star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Victor Bout in a dramatic one-on-one prisoner swap at Abu Dhabi airport on Thursday.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Phoenix Mercury, Greiner was arrested at Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for her luggage containing marijuana oil, which is illegal in Russia. forbidden.
She was later sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 in what Washington called a “sham trial” and an “unjust sentence.”
One of the world’s most prolific arms dealers, Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 on a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. He was subsequently indicted on four counts in May 2008 and extradited to the Southern District of New York in November 2010.
Special Report: WNBA star Brittney Griner freed by Russia in 1-1 prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a US official . https://t.co/7Nn4j0ryxH
– CBS News (@CBSNews) December 8, 2022
In April 2012, Bout was Sentenced Sentenced to 25 years in prison by then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, on charges of “conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to a foreign terrorist organization designated by Colombia.”
“The Russian Federation has long been negotiating with the United States on the release of VA Bout. Washington categorically refuses to engage in dialogue on including Russia in the exchange program. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation continues to actively work to rescue our compatriots,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement said in. statement posted on its Telegram account on Thursday night.
Last month, Washington claimed that Griner was being transferred from a Moscow prison to a remote penal colony, “another injustice to her ongoing injustice and wrongful detention.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in an interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS’ “Face the Nation” earlier this week statement The Biden administration has been actively involved in the past few months to get Greiner and Paul Whelan — former U.S. Marines detained by Russia since 2018 on espionage charges — back home as soon as possible.
“If I get into the details of anything we’re saying, or the details of anything the Russians are saying and we’re hearing, it’s going to backfire. My resolve is to do it either way, for as long as I need to.” Get people home. My effort, the entire government’s effort, is to get Paul and Britney home,” Blinken said.
I spoke to Brittney Griner just now.
She is safe.
She is on the plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
After the exchange, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was a day his administration had worked on for a long time.
“I spoke to Britney Greener just now. She is safe. She is on the plane. She is on her way home,” the US president tweeted.
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