Brittney Griner arrives back in US after prisoner swap with Russian ‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bout
US basketball star Brittney Griner has arrived back in America after being freed in a prisoner swap with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death”.
The 32-year-old WNBA star was flown to San Antonio, Texas.
US special presidential envoy, Roger D. Carstens, said: “So happy to have Brittney back on US soil. Welcome home BG!”
Ms Griner was detained in February when customs agents said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
She had pleaded guilty at her trial saying she used the cartridges to relieve pain from sports injuries and had made an “honest mistake”.
Nevertheless, a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison in August.
US President Joe Biden said Ms Griner had been held under “intolerable circumstances” and been through a “terrible ordeal”.
Ms Griner “represents the best of America”, he added.
President Biden insisted the US has not forgotten about Paul Whelan, a former US marine who remains in Russian custody.
A senior US official said the administration tried everything they could to get Mr Whelan out, but “they are treating him differently. They say he is an espionage case. They said the choice was either one [Griner] or none”.
He did not refer to the price the US paid for Ms Griner’s liberty – the release of convicted arms dealer Bout.
Ms Griner’s wife Cherelle said she was “overwhelmed with emotions” after going through “one of the darkest moments of my life”.
“So today my family is whole, but as you all are aware, there’s so many other families who are not whole.”
The Griner-Bout swap took place at Abu Dhabi airport, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” it said in a statement.
Pressure on Washington over Griner case
For almost two decades, Bout was one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, selling weaponry to rogue states, rebel groups and murderous warlords in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Ever since his capture in an elaborate US sting, the Russian state has been keen to bring him back.
President Biden’s agreement to release Bout highlights the escalating pressure that his administration has faced to bring Ms Griner home, particularly after the recent conclusion of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
Ms Griner’s detention was widely condemned by campaigners, including former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he was planning to fly to Russia in a bid to free the US basketball player.
The Texan-born athlete revealed her fears that she could be in prison “forever” in a letter to President Biden on US Independence Day.
She wrote: “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever.
“On the 4 July, our family normally honours the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War veteran.
“It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”