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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States aboriginal Friday, astir 10 months aft the hoops star’s detention successful Russia made her the astir high-profile American jailed overseas and acceptable disconnected a governmental firestorm.
Griner’s presumption arsenic an openly cheery Black woman, her prominence successful women’s hoops and her imprisonment successful a state wherever authorities person been hostile to the LGBTQ assemblage heightened concerns for her and brought tremendous attraction to the case. Russia’s penetration of Ukraine aft her apprehension analyzable matters further.
The woody that saw Griner exchanged for notorious arms trader Viktor Bout achieved a apical extremity for President Joe Biden. But the U.S. failed to triumph freedom for different American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for astir 4 years.
Asked if much specified swaps could happen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that “everything is possible,” noting that “compromises person been found” to wide the mode for Thursday’s exchange.
Biden’s authorization to merchandise Bout, the Russian felon erstwhile nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” underscored the heightened urgency that his medication faced to get Griner home, peculiarly aft the caller solution of her transgression lawsuit connected cause charges and her consequent transportation to a penal colony.
Griner, a two-time Olympic golden medalist and Phoenix Mercury pro hoops star, was seen getting disconnected a level that landed Friday astatine Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland successful Texas.
“So blessed to person Brittney backmost connected U.S. soil. Welcome location BG!” tweeted Roger Carstens, the peculiar statesmanlike envoy for hostage affairs.
The WNBA star, who besides played pro hoops successful Russia, was arrested astatine Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport successful February aft Russian authorities said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. The U.S. State Department declared Griner to beryllium “wrongfully detained” — a complaint that Russia has sharply rejected.
Griner pleaded blameworthy successful July but inactive faced proceedings due to the fact that admitting guilt successful Russia’s judicial strategy does not automatically extremity a case. She was sentenced to 9 years.
She acknowledged successful tribunal that she possessed canisters with cannabis lipid but said she had nary transgression intent and accidentally packed them. Her defence squad presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to dainty pain.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday’s swap, saying successful a connection carried by Russian quality agencies that the speech took spot successful Abu Dhabi and Bout had been flown home.
Biden spoke by telephone with Griner. U.S. officials said she would beryllium offered specialized aesculapian services and counseling.
In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a erstwhile Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department erstwhile described arsenic 1 of the world’s astir prolific arms dealers. He was arrested successful Thailand successful 2008 and extradited to the U.S. successful 2010.
Bout was serving a 25-year condemnation connected charges that helium conspired to merchantability tens of millions of dollars successful weapons that U.S officials said were to beryllium utilized against Americans.
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Tucker reported from Washington.
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