Rusia libera a Brittney Griner a cambio del traficante Viktor Bout / WNBA star Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Bout

La estrella de basquetbol estadounidense había sido sentenciada a 9 años en prisión

Por The Associated Press | Foto: Charlie Neibergall / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington — Funcionarios de Estados Unidos dicen que Rusia ha liberado a la basquetbolista Brittney Griner a cambio del traficante de armas ruso Viktor Bout.

La estrella de basquetbol estadounidense fue declarada culpable por un tribunal ruso en agosto por cargos de posesión y contrabando de drogas ilegales después de llevar cartuchos de vaporizador con aceite de cannabis cuando voló a Moscú en febrero para jugar baloncesto en la ciudad de Ekaterimburgo.

Griner fue sentenciada a nueve años de prisión, luego de que un fiscal instó a que fuera sentenciada a nueve años y medio.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, emitió en su momento un comunicado sobre el veredicto en el que se refería a Griner como “detenida injustamente”, una designación que ha enfurecido a los funcionarios rusos.

Rusia dejó en libertad a la basquetbolista estadounidense Brittney Griner el jueves en un dramático canje de prisioneros en que Estados Unidos liberó al traficante de armas ruso Viktor Bout, informaron funcionarios estadounidenses.

El intercambio, en momentos de altas tensiones por Ucrania, logra un importante objetivo para el presidente Biden, pero conllevó un alto precio — y dejó atrás un estadounidense encarcelado casi cuatro años en Rusia.

El acuerdo, el segundo intercambio con Rusia en ocho meses, produjo la libertad del estadounidense más prominente detenido en el extranjero.

Griner es dos veces medallista olímpica y su encarcelamiento por acusaciones de drogas atrajo una atención sin precedente a la población de personas detenidas injustamente.

La autorización para dejar libre al traficante de armas apodado “el Mercader de la Muerte” revela la intensa presión que había sobre el gobierno estadounidense para lograr la libertad de Griner, particularmente después de la reciente resolución de su caso penal y traslado a una colonia penal.

WNBA star Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Bout

By ERIC TUCKER, MATTHEW LEE and ZEKE MILLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the White House said. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

Biden’s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home.

Russian and U.S. officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before year’s end.

Even so, the fact that the deal was a one-for-one swap was a surprise given that U.S. officials had for months expressed their their determination to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government has said are baseless.

“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release.”

Whelan’s brother David said in a statement he was “so glad” for Griner’s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House with giving the Whelan family advance notice and said he did not fault officials for making the deal.

More from the original source: https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-freed-viktor-bout-swap-us-russia-ee51f5c14f35dc4d4cf21224a8e44eaa