NFL
By: Zachary Draves
There is an old adage that says “desperate times call for desperate measures”. This is one of those desperate times when two American citizens, WNBA legend Brittney Griner and Marine Paul Whelan, are being detained in a hostile nation. After months of waiting on pins and needles, there seems to be a breakthrough as the Biden Administration announced a “substantial proposal” to Russia that was weeks in the making and includes a two for one prisoner swap.
In exchange for Griner and Whealin, Russia would get back notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death”, who has been serving a 25 year sentence in federal prison since 2012 on charges of obtaining weapons from Columbia to kill Americans.
This announcement was astonishing considering its public development when these negotiations are normally private and only become public when a deal is officially reached. The news brought a sense of encouragement with the hope that this will eventually lead to the safe return of both citizens. Chicago Sky Head Coach and General Manager James Wade, who had previously coached Griner, told CNN “It’s just good to hear her voice and hear her speak and hear her side of the story. So, it’s all encouraging news”. Whelan’s family said that it was a “hard call” but expressed a “little bit of hope” at the deal. Trevor Reed, who was released from Russia in a prisoner exchange in April, said that he was “cautiously optimistic”.
Since it was first known that Griner was detained in Russia in February due to alleged drug smuggling, weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, a grassroots movement starting with the WNBA, has led the charge for Griner to be returned home as quickly as possible. They have done everything they can from social media, wearing shirts, plastering her number and initials on the court, and utilizing all media opportunities to say her name. Others including President Biden and Vice President Harris soon followed and now there is more of a spotlight on her case as well as Paul Whelan than ever before.
There is also more information coming out of Russia with regards to how Griner’s rights were crushed from the get go. She testified in court that she received poor translation services during her interrogation, was forced to sleep in a bed that didn’t fit her size, subjected to a five hour drive to court in a vehicle that was too small for her, and was not allowed to speak to family members or receive regular visitation. All of which is under the backdrop of a potential hard labor sentence of 10 years for possession of 0.7 grams of cannabis oil, which is considered an administrative offense worthy of a fine according to Russian law.
Victoria York, the Deputy Executive Director for the National Black Justice Coalition, the largest African American LGBTQ+ rights organization in the US that has been working the case, told NBS in an email interview that this deal on the table is not only “significant” but has an interesting twist when it comes to the matter of Viktor Bout.
“The deal the Biden-Harris Administration has offered Russia to bring Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home will bring back two Americans who have bravely worn our nation’s flag on their uniforms in exchange for someone whose sentencing judge believes has served an appropriate amount of time in prison,” she said.
It turns out that Shira A. Scheindlin, the judge who had sentenced Bout to 25 years, said in an interview that the sentence was “too high” and that this exchange was a sound proposition.
“She said we’d be getting thirteen years off Paul Whelan’s sentence, plus potential time off Brittney Griner’s sentencing in this deal,” said York. “The Russians would get about six off Viktor Bout’s, who’d also have access to the medical care he needs to treat his chronic illness. The math from the judge who sentenced Bout makes sense to me, and it must’ve made sense to the President, too.”
There have been some people of common sense and measurement who have raised legitimate concerns considering the background of Bout and what this could mean going forward in a larger geopolitical sense. Unfortunately, there are others who hold Griner in contempt due to her identity and political activism who aren’t the least bit concerned on how this plays out. They simply want to stick to her and use this as an opportunity to express their profound hostility towards someone who stands for everything they seem to detest (anti-racism, women’s sports, the WNBA, and the LGBTQ+ community).
They don’t deserve a say in this matter.
But when one looks back at who the US exchanged to release Trevor Reed, it ultimately resulted in his freedom. Konstantin Yaroshenko was a former pilot that was sentenced to 20 years for conspiring to transport $100 million worth of cocaine to the United States. Yes, Yaroshenko was and is a despicable human being but if it meant giving him up to secure the release of a hero like Reed then so be it.
The same goes for Bout. Yes, he is evil but when you have this recent successful exchange and the judge who put him away advocating for this deal, this should be a slam dunk. Now the ball is in Russia’s court and considering that Bout has been on the top of their list of prisoners to be exchanged. York spoke to what it would mean if Russia decides to walk away.
“Since Brittney was wrongfully detained, Russia has been signaling interest in an exchange with Viktor Bout. It would be shocking if they refused this offer. If Russia does reject the deal, it would be to stick it to the U.S. at the expense of its people.”
This deal certainly won’t follow through instantly. This may take months to sort out. The geopolitical ramifications must be taken into consideration and other alternatives should be examined, but in the meantime this is the best option available to do what the WNBA and its supporters have been saying for the last five months. #FreeBrittneyGriner.
