Brittney Griner is coming home. The WNBA star was released from a Russian penal colony after the Biden Administration negotiated the release, according to reports.
Griner’s release was a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
It took months of negotiations for the swap to take place, but it came to fruition on Dec. 8 in the United Arab Emirates. President Joe Biden signed off on the trade.
Following the release, Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner was at the White House to speak with Brittney over a phone call.
In February, Griner was on the way to play for her basketball for her Russian team when she was detained by authorities at a Russian airport after a vape pen was found in her bag. She was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison and was recently sent to a Russian penal colony where inmates are forced to work in tough conditions.
Many believed her harsh sentence was given due to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine and America’s decision to support the country.
Biden will make remarks on Griner’s release.
