How Is Joe Biden Helping an American Prisoner in Russia


Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko on AP News


   Over the past two weeks, there was lots of media coverage from and about President Joe Biden in the midterm elections. Now that the midterm elections are over, Joe Biden has decided to turn his attention to the ongoing Brittney Griner trial in Russia. 

  For those that do not know, Brittney Grinner was taken into custody and arrested in Russia back in February when attending a Russian Premier League for basketball. She was caught with cannabis oil which is seen as an illegal substance in Russia. Her trial started in July, going into the months of August when the Russian court decided that she would serve nine years in Russian Prison. Things only got more complicated due to the fact of Ukraine and Russian conflict that unfolded shortly after her arrest. There was an appeal made in the court where Griner was trying to get the nine-year sentence appealed, but on October 25th, the original sentence was waived fair. 

  Joe Biden, in an interview, said, "My hope is that now that the election is over, Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange." Communication with Griner has also been difficult since her recent battle in the Russian court on October 25th. She was moved to a detention center located in Moscow shortly after the loss in court, though U.S. Officials who have been actively working since February to free Griner said that this was to be expected after the recent news. 

  There have been talks about doing an exchange for Griner for a Russian prisoner here in the United States named Viktor Bout. Currently serving a 25-year sentence in the States for being a Russian Arms dealer, the U.S. is willing to negotiate him for Griner as well as another American who is serving 16 years in a Russian prison for espionage. 

  The Biden Administration and other U.S. officials are now working harder than ever to rescue Griner and potentially Whelan (the 16-year sentenced prisoner in Russia). "Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long," said Karine Jean-Pierre, a White House Press Secretary. 




Sources 

“Biden Hopes Putin Will Negotiate WNBA Star Griner's Release.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 10 Nov. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-entertainment-sports-karine-jean-pierre-basketball-960c931def8f2db0e9c9fefcf20796a1.

Comments

  1. Kendra's CommentsNovember 14, 2022 at 6:32 PM

    The details in this post is amazing, its unfortunate that she has even been there this long. I can't imagine that she will be there the full 9 years, My first thought was Biden didn't want to make it dangerous for her to be there by moving too fast. Hopefully within the next few months they try to find a way to bring her home, her family can't be at peace knowing she is somewhere not safe. It's interesting to see the difference in prisons based on the country and how different America is from places around the world.

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