Brittney Griner released in U.S.-Russia prisoner swap
STORY: BIDEN: "She's safe, she's on a plane, she's on her way home."
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced he’d won the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner, after months in Russian custody.
Griner was arrested in Russia in February, tried and convicted of drug charges, and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.
BIDEN: "After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along."
The Russian foreign ministry said Moscow had exchanged Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Victor Bout.
Dubbed "the merchant of death," Bout spent decades trafficking guns to rogue states, rebel groups, and murderous warlords. He was nabbed in a sting operation in 2008, extradited to the U.S., and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Russian news agencies said the Griner-Bout swap occurred at an airport in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Griner has maintained that it was an "honest mistake" that lead to her arrest and did not mean to break the law. She had a prescription at the time in the U.S. for medical marijuana for relief from chronic injuries.
The 32-year-old star of the Women's National Basketball Association's Phoenix Mercury is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, who was in Russia to play basketball during the U.S. off-season.
Biden described Russia’s prosecution of Griner as a "show trial," and said he never waved in his commitment to see her freed.
BIDEN: "She wrote to me back in July. She didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release from day one. She requested a simple, 'please don't forget about me and the other American detainees.'"
Biden said he would continue to work toward the release of other Americans he said were unjustly detained, naming Paul Whelan, who is currently in Russian prison.
CHERELLE GRINER: "Today my family is whole. But as you all are aware, there are so many other families that are not whole."
Griner's wife Cherelle Griner thanked Biden and his administration for freeing Brittney, but paid tribute to those who were still waiting to see loved ones again.
CHERELLE GRINER: "We do understand that there are still people out here who are enduring what I endured, the last nine months, of missing, tremendously, their loved ones."
But she was committed to celebrating this moment.
CHERELLE GRINER: "So, I'm going to smile right now."
相關影片推薦
- 1:20退伍軍人暈倒送醫赫見背刺「捐器官」願望 遺愛助四人民視影音30,795 次觀看・11 小時前
- 1:26白蟻研究重大突破! 興大證實首次發現雜交混種白蟻民視影音13,746 次觀看・7 小時前
- 1:540423地震重創花蓮壽豐 鄉長不救災竟在日本參訪華視影音7,125 次觀看・12 小時前
- 1:50背刺青「要器捐」 老兵捐心.肝.腎 助4患者TVBS新聞網影音26,096 次觀看・11 小時前
- 1:26女長期睡機場又大鬧國門 不聽勸阻遭警驅離東森新聞影音68,698 次觀看・9 小時前
- 2:55遊北海道帝王蟹遭掉包 台遊客:喊報警店家才承認華視影音59,077 次觀看・9 小時前
- 1:33日本明星公河馬是「女兒身」 天王寺動物園養七年才發現Yahoo奇摩(國際通)20,665 次觀看・11 小時前
- 1:16麵店「非熟客禁帶兒童」 客人一顆星負評引熱議民視影音3,689 次觀看・7 小時前
- 1:38西澳再發生鯨魚大規模擱淺 直擊140頭鯨魚海灘掙扎求生、26頭已死亡Yahoo奇摩(國際通)2,526 次觀看・9 小時前
- 3:26一分鐘報天氣 / 週五 (04/26) 鋒面再度東移南壓 週五六降雨再增 中南部留意較大雨勢Yahoo奇摩新聞(報氣象)4,012 次觀看・8 小時前
熱門必看
- 5:43精華|結婚意願最高的同志星座?雙子超瘋一言不合就結婚!?唐綺陽談星室29,857 次觀看・19 小時前
- 10:362024巴黎奧運即將開打 先去希臘朝聖奧運起源地吧!Yahoo創作摩人9,343 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:58LE SSERAFIM這首Easy的現場安可為什麼唱不好?第一個原因是音域!#學唱歌 #歌唱教學 #reaction #KPOP #lesserafim嘎老師 Miss Ga6,574 次觀看・4 天前
- 10:16【日本入境必看】VISIT JAPAN WEB 完整教學!2024 年最新版吉田社長交朋友23,549 次觀看・3 天前
- 0:16朝聖宜蘭網美咖啡廳!頭城開幕咖啡廳板橋Edenx食旅7,108 次觀看・2 天前