Posted on · Griner said she hopes her book would raise awareness of other Americans detained overseas, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia last month and accused of espionage.
Posted on · In her first public statement since being freed from Russia, the two-time Olympic gold medalist says she'll play for her team, the Phoenix Mercury, when the season starts in May.
Posted on · American basketball star Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange following nearly 10 months in detention in Russia.
Posted on · Bout is a Russian who was the world's most notorious arms dealer in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was serving a 25-year prison sentence in Illinois before being freed as part of a U.S.-Russia swap.
Posted on · 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.
Posted on · Her transfer to a penal colony — as prisons in Russia are commonly known — can take days or even weeks. During that time lawyers and loved ones usually don't have contact with the prisoner. Even after she arrives, access to Griner may be difficult since many penal colonies are in remote parts of Russia.
Posted on · The decision effectively sends Griner to serve out her term in a Russian prison colony, even as the U.S. and Russia appear set to reengage in talks for a possible prisoner swap.
Posted on · The two-time Olympic champion’s wife spoke out for the first time since Griner’s sentencing two months ago in an interview with CBS’ Gayle King.
Posted on · Griner has been held in Russia since February on drug-related charges. She was sentenced last month to nine years in prison after pleading guilty and has appealed the punishment.
Posted on · Griner's attorney was quoted by Russian news agencies on Monday as saying the appeal was filed, but the grounds of the appeal were not immediately clear.
Posted on · Rice University's Richard Stoll said the odds of a prisoner swap are in Griner's favor, but he remains concerned about the basketball star's well-being.
Posted on · On Friday's show: An international relations expert explains what it might take for the United States to arrange for Griner's release after her guilty verdict and sentencing. Then, we discuss how a recent ruling limiting the EPA's power might affect Houston. And Indian composer and violinist L. Subramaniam talks about his concert in Houston this weekend celebrating 75 years of Indian independence.
Posted on · The ruling came nearly six months after Griner was detained. Russia has indicated that any potential deal or prisoner swap to secure her release would have to wait until after a verdict in her case.
Posted on · In an extraordinary move, Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and another American imprisoned in Russia would go free.
Posted on · It is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.