Plog Number 102
Brittany Griner Is Free
Hello Ploggers, how are you. So much to celebrate🍸 tonight! On July 20, 2022 I published plog number 20 called Free Brittany Griner. Tonight I am revisiting and talking about the return of Brittany Griner from a Russian Prison. She was in there for over 294 days. The last that I heard she was in isolation. The prisons in Russia are known for being rough. Her short trial ended with her admitting to the charges of possession of CBD and a Vape 🚬 pipe. Both of these items were used for her chronic aches and pains from being a professional athlete. These were items she had included in her luggage. I admit it was not the smartest move on her part. She probably knew that this was legal in the USA. But the legalities in the USA were not what got her in trouble. In Russia these items were not legal. In addition to the items being illegal, the Russians now had a pawn who was a star athlete. They had a good bargaining chip. I heard that prior to Brittany's arrest the penalty for the same crime was 15 days in prison. After Brittany was imprisoned they changed the penalty to 9 years. You cant change the penalty for a crime retrospectively in this country, but apparently in Russia you can.
As it turned out the return of Brittany was a deal worked out by Smoking Joe Biden. The leaders did a swap of prisoners. The US gave Russia former arms dealer Viktor Bout. The Russians gave us Brittany Griner. There is still another American prisoner who is stuck in Russia, his name is Paul Whelan and he is a former Marine. He has been imprisoned since 2018 on Espionage charges. His trial was closed and he was sentenced to sixteen years. He deserves to come home too and I pray that he does. I have heard that 45 tried to get Whelan home without success. I wonder how his family must feel tonight knowing that Brittany was there for less than one year and he has been there for four years. The return of Griner must give them hope, but still ⏰ time is ticking. We know that Russia is struggling in the war with Ukraine. We also know that the US is giving aid to Ukraine. Somehow this struggle may have helped in the return of Brittany. We may never know what happened behind the scenes.
These prisoners in foreign countries should never be 💟 forgotten. The anguish that their families feel is always there for them. I am guessing that Russia allows no international communication even though the 📱 technology exists. I saw Biden announce Brittany’s return. He stated that they had been working on this for quite a while. I remember he met with Griner’s wife earlier this year and spoke words of assurance and encouragement to her. I think it was very important that he said that it was not a choice between Whalen and Griner. He said that the Russians are treating the release of the two prisoners totally differently. He also mentioned a man named Trevor Reed who was brought home earlier this year. Reed was sentenced to 9 years in prison for violently assaulting two Moscow Police Officers. He was a Marine and was said to be drunk and rowdy with the police who detained him. I had never heard of him. I wonder how many people are stuck in foreign jails, without their families. He also made it a point to remind travelers to be aware of what substances are legal when traveling. He also said that they have given up and that they would never give up on getting Americans home. It is a happy day for Brittany Griner and her family, but others are still waiting for their loved ones. It is highly unusual that a black, gay woman would get better treatment than a white male in any situation. I think that is a big part of the controversy about Brittany's release. RECLAIM!!
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