Washington (AP) – Britney Greener She is the easiest most important American to be trapped from abroad. But the WNBA star’s case is complicated by the case of the lesser -known American who is also imprisoned in Russia.
Paul Whelan was arrested in Russia After his arrest in December 2018 Due to suspected espionage, he and the US government said he was wrong. In April he was left without a replacement prisoner who took home another arrested, Marine veteran Trevor Reed. It intensified pressure on the Biden administration to prevent another exchange that did not include Whelan, even as it demanded the release of Greener, an Olympic gold medalist whose case has garnered worldwide attention.
In the case of Greener and Whelan, the other person’s case puts some wild cards on them, for good or for worse.
The U.S. government may not accept an agreement in which only one of them is released, which can complicate negotiations. But Whelan could also use the attention paid to Greener, who is focused on his case. And while the U.S. may be reluctant to hand over a high-ranking Russian prisoner, Greener, who is accused of a relatively minor drug offense, may be more inclined to do so if he and Whelan are part of the an agreement.
The potential interaction between the cases is not lost on Wellan and Greener’s families and supporters.
“It’s still very raw,” said Whelan’s sister Elizabeth Whelan, who said her sister was banned from dealing with Reed. “And the thought of having to go through it all again if Britney is brought home for the first time is just horrible.”
But the “really bad thing” about this feeling, he quickly added, is that he and his family really want to free Greener. “It’s not that we don’t want her house,” he said. “We want everyone to go there, away from Russia and away from this situation.
All of this adds up to a “sticky wicket,” Kimberly St. said. Julian-Varnon, a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in Russia and a consultant to the WNBA Players Association on the Greener case.
If Greener, who plays for Phoenix Mercury, catches up with Whelan on his way home, the administration will face an investigation into Whelan’s supporters. “And if Paul Whelan comes out first, you’ll have questions as to why Britney didn’t come out even though Britney hasn’t been sentenced yet,” he said.
U.S. officials have not said whether exchanges will be considered, whether Greener, Whelan or both could go home, or whether they will agree to an agreement that would ensure the release of one without the other. A State Department spokesman supporting illegally detained Americans, the president’s special envoy for captives or SPEHA, declined to say how these cases could affect each other, but said the office remains committed to ensuring release. both.
The seven-time WNBA All-Star is not only one of the most dominant figures in her sport, but also a well-known gay black woman. This has led to questioning the role of race and sexual identity in the country where the government is located. Anger in the LGBTQE community if more attention is paid to his case if he is a white male athlete.
U.S. officials and Greener’s supporters initially said little publicly about his case, but that changed in May when the State Department found him illegally detained and forwarded his case to the SPEHA office.
Greener’s wife, Chereli, asked the Biden administration in an ABC “Good Morning with America” interview to do whatever it took to bring Greener home, but she also expressed sympathy for Whelan. He said, although the two have no connection, other than the fact they are both in Russia, “obviously I want him back.”
Greener’s glory is waning on both sides, St. Louis said. Julian-Varnon. If Russia wants to re -establish itself as a host country for foreign athletes like Greener, the country will have a huge incentive to release him. But given Greener’s “political value” for Russia, he may also have a strong demand for his release.
“It’s the biggest chip they have to play,” he said.
Tamryn Spruill, a freelance journalist and author who petitioned Change.org to call for Greener’s release, said in a letter that if his “case could be used to secure Welan’s release at once – or vice versa – then I hope the president will. “Use all these methods.”
Unlike Greener, awaiting trial, Whelan was convicted and convicted.
A Michigan corporate security executive arrested after traveling to Russia for a wedding, Whelan was sentenced in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He and his family were forced to prove his innocence. The US government has condemned the allegations as false.
Reed was also convicted prior to the exchange, which freed him. He was arrested in Moscow for a drunken physical confrontation with police and released in place of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to smuggle drugs. U.S. officials cited Reed’s illness in part as a rationale for the trade.
It is unclear which other Russians will be part of the further exchange. Russian state media has been circulating the name of well-known arms dealer Victor Booth for years, although such an agreement threatens to gain false equality among Russians, which the government believes of the US appropriately condemned, and of the Americans, who believe it.
Jonathan Franks, a consultant who worked on Reed’s case, said it’s hard to imagine a Greener-Booth deal or a Greener deal that doesn’t apply to Whelan.
“I think the fastest way to Britney Greener from Russia is with Air Whelan,” she said.
Elizabeth Whelan said in the morning that a call she had to make to her elderly parents to say that Reed was coming home, but her brother was not there, was not an experience she wanted to repeat. But he said his family understands the possibility of one prisoner being released without another.
“We are faced with a situation where hostile foreign countries can give different amounts to each of them that they have, and they can make a separate deal.” Which deal comes first to be made. , often comes first at home, “he says,” and that’s not a pleasant situation at all. “
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.