prisoner exchange
US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia, was released. In August, he was sentenced to nine years in a maximum security penal colony for drug trafficking.
On December 8, a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States took place at Abu Dhabi airport. Greiner went home, and Viktor Bout, convicted of arms trafficking in the United States, flew to Moscow.
“The Russian Federation has been negotiating for a long time with the US on the release of Bout. Washington categorically rejected the dialogue on the inclusion of Russians in the exchange program. A Russian citizen was repatriated to his homeland, ”RIA Novosti quotes the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Negotiations on the exchange of prisoners have indeed been going on since Greiner’s conviction, but the American side has repeatedly said that the Russian Federation’s position is incapable of negotiation.
“We have made an important proposal that the Russian Federation is not prepared to discuss in good faith. The US State Department said on November 19 that the US government remains committed to this proposal and offers possible alternative ways to interact with the Russian Federation.” Their reluctance to engage in serious negotiations on this issue, through or through other channels, contradicts their public statements.”
The Economist reported that Viktor Bout was withdrawn to Bangkok by American intelligence agencies in 2008, where he was captured and taken to the United States. There, four years later, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for “arms smuggling and supporting terrorism”.
Initially, the United States offered to replace Bout not only with Greiner, but also with Paul Whelan, an American convicted of espionage in Russia, but representatives of the Russian Federation categorically rejected this proposal, as it was unequal.
Process due to hash oil
Greiner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17 this year, following the reaction of a guide dog. An examination of the trunk of an American woman found e-cigarettes with cannabis oil, which are legal in the United States, but banned in Russia.
The American was detained and remained here until his conviction. He was then in a detention center in Moscow until he was transferred to a colony in Mordovia on November 4.
Initially, nothing was known about the whereabouts of the basketball player, but later information appeared that he was in the female breeding colony IK-2 in Yavas, about 500 km from Moscow.
Interestingly, this reformatory is located near where Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage.
“First of all, on behalf of Brittney, we would like to thank everyone who was concerned about her. Attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov have received numerous messages of support regarding their client’s translation in the last few days.” – We confirm that Brittney has begun serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia “We visited her earlier this week. Brittney is coping with the situation as much as possible and trying to hold on and adapt to the new circumstances. Given that this is a very difficult time for Brittney, no further comment will be made from us in the near future.”
Elizabeth Rood, US Charge d’Affaires in Russia, said: “From what we understand from communication with her, she is healthy and feeling as well as expected in the difficult conditions she is in.” “As soon as the Russian authorities let us, the embassy staff will visit him in the colony.”
great basketball player
From the moment Greiner was detained at the Moscow airport, his name did not leave the front pages of the world media, and his colleagues and well-known political figures constantly spoke out in support of the famous athlete.
More recently, Jasmine, daughter of basketball legend Michael Jordan, resented Brittney’s fate.
“It’s sad to see Brittney abused as a pawn in a larger plot,” Jasmine Jordan told Footwear News on Dec. I like that he handles this situation every day. It is a pity that he has to face such difficulties. We should continue to talk about him, draw attention to his problem, support his family. The struggle is not over yet, this is just the beginning.”
As for Greiner himself, he is a true women’s basketball legend with no nuances.
Thanks to the 32-year-old center, he became two Olympic champions and world champions in the USA team.
The women were selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the NBA with the number one pick in the 2013 draft and became champions in the first season as part of this team.
The athlete is under contract with Mercury and the organization expects him to return next season.
Griner became the WNBA’s two-time top scorer and won the league multiple times on blocked shots per season.
Outside of America, the basketball player played for two Chinese clubs and defended the colors of the Yekaterinburg UMMC, where since 2015 he became the two-time Russian champion and four-time Euroleague champion and took the MVP of the final. 2019.
Where he flew to Russia in February was to perform for UMMC. It is worth noting that the Ural club expressed its support for the American athlete throughout the entire process and even sent a letter of recommendation to the court with a positive reference to Greiner.