Brittney Griner’s Wife Cherelle Calls For Paul Whelan’s Release From Russia – In a touching social media post, Brittney Griner’s wife appealed for the release of former US Marine Paul Whelan from Russian captivity and thanked the public for their support while Brittney was detained. “I appreciate each and every one of you! Let’s continue to use our hands, voices, platforms, and resources to bring Paul and all Americans home,” Cherelle Griner wrote on Instagram. “All families deserve to be whole!” Cherelle also thanked dozens of people and groups in the post, including the Biden administration, the WNBA and Rev. Al Sharpton.
Additionally, the post thanked Representatives Greg Stanton, Colin Allred, and Sheila Jackson Lee. “Yesterday my heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of MANY! I’m humbled by their hearts. To care for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some— is humanity in its purest form!” Cherelle wrote. “As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, body, and spirits— I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!”
People Also Read: Brittney Griner Freed From Russian Prison in Exchange for Viktor Bout
Brittney Griner, a WNBA and Olympic basketball player, returned to the United States on Friday after spending almost ten months in a Russian prison following her arrest in February for importing cannabis oil. She was released as part of a prisoner exchange for the infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been in US custody. The exchange apparently took months to negotiate, but finally aroused the outrage of some who were dissatisfied that Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 for espionage and is imprisoned in a Russian prison colony, was not included.
Whelan has denied the charges and received a 16-year prison sentence. “Americans deserve to know why Biden traded one of the most dangerous Russian arms dealers for Brittney Griner, while leaving behind military veteran Paul Whelan,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw tweeted on Friday. “America should be negotiating from a place of strength, not weakness.” Critics of the prisoner swap include Donald Trump, who said on Truth Social that Griner “openly hates our country.”
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