“FINALLY my time to help your daughter” President Joe Biden plans to meet Brittney Griner’s family amid sensitive days in Russia
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Brittney Griner and Joe Biden
President Joe Biden met with Brittney Griner‘s wife, Cherelle Griner, on Friday and told her that he is trying to rescue the WNBA star. Biden met with Cherelle Griner and Elizabeth Whelan, sister of jailed former US Marine Paul Whelan, in the Oval Office. He even had the separate visits to reassure relatives that the prisoners are “on their minds,” according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre stated after the discussions that Biden “loved the opportunity to hear more about Brittney and Paul from those who love them the most, and understood that every minute they are being kept is a minute too long.” According to the White House, Biden was joined at the sessions by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. In a statement, Cherelle Griner praised Biden, saying it was an honor to talk with him about “the Brittney we know and love.”
Why are Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan serving a jail sentence in Russia?
Brittney Griner was detained last February after flying into Moscow with cannabis oil-infused vape cartridges in her baggage. During her trial, Griner admitted to unknowingly breaching Russian legislation, telling the Russian judge that she packed quickly and accidentally carried the vape cartridges with her. Paul Whelan on the other hand after being convicted of espionage, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020. Both he and US authorities have categorically refuted the allegations and described his trial as completely unjust.
Griner’s requests for mercy were mostly ignored by the court, which found her guilty of narcotics possession and smuggling and sentenced him to nine years in prison, barely short of the maximum 10-year sentence. Griner’s counsel filed an appeal against the decision on August 15, but experts in hostage exchange and Russian foreign policy say her appeal will meet the same hurdles as her first defense due to the political calculation involved.
Since then, the US and Russia have tried negotiating but were unable to break the deadlock with the Biden Administration presenting a “significant proposal” to the Kremlin in the hopes of obtaining the release of Griner and Whelan. The offer was apparently made in exchange for Viktor Bout, a prominent Russian arms trafficker who is presently serving a 25-year sentence in an Illinois federal prison for planning to kill Americans and transfer weapons to terrorists however Russia rejected this offer
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