After almost 10 months of being detained in Russia, the star of the basket American Brittney Griner after being released in a prisoner exchange with Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. She arrived in the early hours of this Friday at the San Antonio airfield, Texas.
She was detained since February 17 after agents at the Sheremetevo airport in Moscow found cannabis oil in her luggage, for which she was sentenced in Russia to nine years in prison for drug trafficking.
Being a black and openly lesbian woman, a leading figure in the basket female and being held in a country whose authorities have been hostile to the LGBTQ+ community, raised concerns about her status and drew unprecedented attention to her case.
Houston City Hall lights up red
Houston City Hall, Texas, lit up in red, white and blue to celebrate the release of the WNBA player Brittney Griner as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Griner is a Houston native and several politicians from Texas have especially expressed their support for Griner’s release.
Moment of prisoner exchange
This is the moment of the exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States, at the Abu Dhabi airport, in the United Arab Emirates.
Brittney Griner is seen walking with a procession on the track, at another end Viktor Bout with a group of people and officials from the United Arab Emirates in another part of the track.
After a greeting, the player from basketball Brittney Griner and convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the merchant of death, go their separate ways.
The deal to trade Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout announced Thursday achieved one of President Joe Biden’s main goals, but it did not include the release of another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia for nearly four years.
