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Black women played a critical role in helping to free Brittney Griner
The Black women-led groups that advocated for WNBA star Brittney Griner’s freedom are celebrating her release as a victory of their own. As the two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury basketball star spent nearly 10 months in Russian custody, groups like Win With Black Women, the Southern Black Girls and Women's Consortium and the Black Women's Leadership Collective held rallies, launched campains, circulated petitions and wrote to the Biden administration, demanding more be done to bring Griner home. Black women played a critical role in securing Griner’s release, advocates say. And it seems their hard work paid off last week when Griner was released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow. President Joe Biden announced Griner’s release Thursday.
The administration agreed to release notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner. Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence on charges of conspiring to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons that U.S. officials believed were intended to be used against Americans. President Joe Biden announced Griner’s release Thursday. The administration agreed to release notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner. Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence on charges of conspiring to sell millions of dollars' worth of weapons that U.S. officials believed were intended to be used against Americans.
The trade meant the U.S. would leave behind Paul Whelan, a businessman and former Marine imprisoned in Russia on suspicion of spying. The Biden administration said the U.S. will “never give up” on securing Whelan’s release.
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