Published by : Emmanuele Paul
BasketBall, Englsih, Others   | Reading time :  minutes

The WNBA star has finally been released by Russia after more than 10 months in custody.

Brittney Griner was released in exchange for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison in the United States.

The information was revealed by CNN and confirmed by President Joe Biden in a message on his twitter account accompanied by a photo with the wife of Brittney Griner.

“Just moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She’s on a plane. She’s on her way home,” Joe Biden tweeted.

Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia last February in possession of a small amount of “cannabis” for personal use. She was “sentenced to nine years after being convicted of possession of a prohibited substance in Russia.” In her testimony before a Russian judge, the basketball player admitted to “inadvertently packing cannabis oil found in her luggage.”

Paul Whelan, another American detained in Russia, has not been released despite the efforts of the American authorities who had offered to exchange Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. An offer declined by Russia.

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