U.S. WNBA player Brittney Griner was freed from a Russian penal colony and is headed home thanks to a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner," said U.S. President Joe Biden."She is safe. She is on a plane."U.S. Women's National Basketball Association player Brittney Griner on Thursday was freed from a Russian penal colony and is headed home thanks to a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Cherelle Griner expressed her "sincere gratitude" for Biden and others in his administration—including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken—and said that"today's just a happy day for me and my family." "Her status as a gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LGBTQIA+ community, infused gender, racial, and social dynamics into her legal saga and made each development a matter of international importance,"NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement that his group is"elated" to hear the news of Griner's imminent return and applauded Biden for ensuring her release.
Biden confirmed that the swap did not include Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned by Russia, but vowed to continue negotiations to free him. As the U.S. president put it:"We are not giving up. We will never give up."
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