PresidentJoe Bidenis celebratingBrittney Griner’s release from Russian custody.
Shortly after news broke that the WNBA star, 32, had been released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange for a convicted arms dealer, after spending nearly ten months under arrest, Biden, 80,delivered remarks from the White Houseabout the ordeal Thursday morning.
“Good morning folks, and it is a good morning,” Biden, who was standing before Vice PresidentKamala Harrisand Griner’s wife,Cherelle, began. “Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner. She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home 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’ve been there all along,” he continued. “This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release. It took painstaking and intense negotiations, and I wanna thank all the hardworking public servants across my administration who worked tirelessly to secure her release.”
Biden added: “I also want to thank the UAE for helping us facilitate Brittney’s return, cause that’s where she landed. These past few months have been hell for Brittney and for Cherelle, and her entire family and all her teammates back home.”
He later said that Griner will be back in the U.S. in “the next 24 hours.”
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Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug smuggling charges, wasreleased in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bouton Thursday, CBS News reported, citing a U.S. official.
Before delivering his remarks, Bidentweeted: “Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home,” alongside photographs of himself, Harris, 58, and Cherelle.
Griner was previously sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 10, just below the maximum allowed sentence of 10 years. Griner’s lawyers said at the time, in a statement shared with PEOPLE, that the verdict, is “absolutely unreasonable” and said they will “certainly file an appeal.”
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Continuing his speech, Biden said that Brittney is “in good spirits” and is “relieved to finally be heading home,” adding, “The fact remains that she’s lost months of her life, experienced the needless trauma, and she deserves space, privacy and time with her loved ones to recover and heal from her time being wrongfully detained.”
He then turned his attention to Whelan, who he said has “been unjustly detained in Russia for years.”
“This was not a choice of which American to bring home. We brought home Trevor Reed when we had a chance early this year. Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s,” he continued. “And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”
“We remain in close touch with Paul’s family, and my thoughts and prayers are with him today. They have to have such mixed emotions today,” Biden added. “And we’ll keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release. I guarantee that — I say that to the family — I guarantee you. And [I] urge Russia to do the same, to ensure that Paul’s health and humane treatment are maintained until we are able to bring him home.”
RELATED VIDEO: What Brittney Griner’s Daily Life Has Looked Like in Russian Prison
Biden then said that he doesn’t “want any Americans to sit wrongfully detained for one extra day if we can bring that person home.”
Noting how he will “continue to work to bring home every American who continues to endorse such an injustice,” Biden then implored those watching his speech to take “precautions” before traveling overseas.
“Make no mistake about it, this work is not easy. Negotiations are always difficult. There are never any guarantees. But it’s my job as President of the United States to make the hard calls and protect Americans, citizens everywhere in the world, anywhere in the world,” he added.
Biden concluded: “I’m proud that today we had made one more family whole again. So welcome home, Brittney.”
source: people.com
