Sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for “drug possession”, Brittney Griner regained her freedom in exchange for that of arms dealer Viktor Bout. Here’s a look back at a diplomatic dribble worthy of a Hollywood script.
Standing 2.06 metres tall, Brittney Griner is an undisputed star of the WNBA. It all began in high school, when she was recognized as “the nation’s number 1 player”, and in 2009 she joined the Lady Bears, the team from Baylor University in Texas. The rare player to score a dunk in a college game, Brittney Grinner became the first player at her school to achieve a triple-double: a performance that combines several statistics, such as assists, points and blocks.
Future mapped out
With her string of victories, basketball player LeBron James praises her talents: “It’s not as if she catches the ball and scores or dunks on every play. She’s got turnaround jumpers, drop-steps, jump shots, a good fadeaway jumper and, on top of that, she dunks. She’s a great player.”
Legend LeBron was right! In 2014, Brittney handily won the World Championship in Turkey with the US national team. Success repeated four years later, at the 2018 Mmondial. In 2021, Brittney Griner confirmed her status as a women’s basketball superstar by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Culture shock
African-American, wife of Cherelle Watson, LGBT activist and cannabis user, Brittney Griner criystalls everything Vladimir Putin conspises. And even though the latter has never spoken out about her, Donald Trump’s comments about the athlete hint at the contours of the rRussian dictator’s thinking.
The former tenant of the White House had attacked the sportswoman head-on, believing that she “openly hated our [his] country”. He was referring to Griner’s presence at the Black Lives Matter protests, during which she called for the American national anthem to be stopped before the games in which her team participated.
Prison basket
On February 17, 2022, on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner takes advantage of the off-season to play for UMMC ILekaterinburg. No sooner had she arrived at Moscow-Cheremetievo airport than a police dog swooped down on her. In a press release, the Russian Federal Customs Service states that a check of her luggage confirms “the presence of vaporizers (and) a liquid with a particular odor”.
In this case, cannabis. Although the cartridge had been prescribed to her by a doctor in Arizona, its possession and use are totally prohibited in Russia.
Without further trial, the sportswoman was incarcerated and faced up to 10 years in a penal colony. While the case became a formidable pressure tool against Joe Biden, it was hushed up in view of the “special operation” that the master of the Kremlin was preparing. It was not until March 5 that his arrest was made public, in almost total silence.
Two days later, his Phoenix Mercury team laconically announced they were “following Brittney Griner’s situation in Russia very closely”, while his wife, Cherelle, asked for “respect for their privacy” and worked “to get [her] home safelý”. The Biden administration, all eyes on the Russian-Ukrainian border, doesn’t seem to be moved by the gravity of the situation. The White House will justify itself with a “for detained Americans, we generally don’t give details because it doesn’t advance the case for bringing them home”.
Dead letter and condemnation
Five months passed, during which the inaction of the American government was met with support from celebrities shocked by the lack of reaction, such as American veteran Trevor Reed, actress Lisa Rinna and comedian Amy Schumer. For his part, LeBron James once again came to the young woman’s rescue: “How can she feel supported by the United States? In her case, I would ask myself: “Do I even want to go back to America?”, the four-time NBA champion chastised.
On July 4, on the eve of her trial, she appealed to Joe Biden in a letter published by ESPN. “I am terrified that I will be here forever. I realize you’re dealing with so much, but please don’t forget me and the other inmates. Please do everything you can to bring us home.” His only response: to sign an executive order allowing the punishment of foreigners involved in the unjust detention of American citizens.
During her trial, Brittney pleaded guilty, stating that she had never intended to smuggle anything. “I did not have the idea, nor did I plan, to introduce prohibited substances into Russia (…). […] I made a mistake in good faith and I hope that the judgment will not put an end to my life here. “Arguments that won’t convince a court remotely controlled by Vladimir Putin. On August 4, Griner was found guilty of drug possession and trafficking, and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. Joe Biden, who found the decision “unacceptable”, called on “Russia to release her immediately so that she can be reunited with her wife, her loved ones and her teammates”.
Putin’s trump card
The Kremlin had no reason to be conciliatory at a time when the international community was denouncing and sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Sports become a providential means of pressure.
In the wake of this condemnation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raises the possibility of a prisoner transaction, declaring: “We are ready to discuss this subject, but only within the framework of the [diplomatic] channel that has been agreed by Presidents Putin and Biden.” At the end of July, the Americans made what they considered a “serious and consistent” proposal to free the basketball player, along with Paul Whelan, an ex-Marine sentenced to 16-16 years for “espionage”. Vladimir Putin is reportedly ready to accept, and has a very specific idea of the Russian he’d like to see released from American custody: arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Lord of War
A choice that illustrates the cynicism of the Russian president. A black, lesbian woman, guilty of possessing a few grams of medical cannabis, in exchange for one of the most decried arms dealers known for supplying countries at war and under embargo. He made his name in Rwanda and Liberia in the 1990s. An unenviable career that inspired Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War (2005), with Nicolas Cage in the title role. Viktor Bout has also done business with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Also known as “the merchant of death”, Viktor Boutil was arrested on March 6, 2008, in Thailand, by Drug Enforcement Administration agents. In 2011, he was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in the United States. Russia, for its part, has always considered his extradition from Bangkok illegal, and has demanded that he be handed over to the Russian authorities.
Viktor Bout during his extradition to the United States in 2010
Half-hearted release
While the backroom dealings continue, Brittney Griner is going through hell. After several months in a Moscow prison, she is transferred in the greatest secrecy to a penal colony in Mordovia, southeast of the capital.
In these penal colonies, prisoners are crammed into insalubrious barracks, with no access to healthcare. A spokesman for the Democratic government protested: “The Russian Federation has yet to provide official notification of such a move by an American citizen; something we strongly dispute.”
Less than a month later, the basketball player was finally released, in exchange for the arms dealer on the tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport. A few hours later, Joe Biden announced, “After months of unjust detention in Russia, in intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been here all along.” Today, Brittney Grinner is back playing for the Phoenix Mercury, while his wife is expecting a child. Paul Whelan was not so lucky: he continues to serve his sentence in a colony in Siberia – the same one where Alexei Navalny lost his life, on February 6, 2024.
Credit: Lorie Shaull
Brittney during a game against the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis in 2019.
Credit: US Department of Justice
Viktor Bout during his extradition to the United States in 2010
