Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger is not entirely satisfied with the US-Russia prisoner exchange, who released WNBA star Brittney Griner as the Republican expressed his dismay that former United States Marine Paul Whelan was not part of the bargaining package and has been jailed for four years.
Through his Twitter, representative Kinzinger expressed his discomfort regarding the exchange of prisoners that was negotiated with Russia, and now the 32-year-old basketball player is flying to the United States, and Viktor Bout, an arms smuggler, was released from the country to travel to Moscow.
Kinzinger claimed that among the prisoners in Russia are, Paul Whelan, who was accused of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Russian authorities just under four years ago.
“So a basketball star is released, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan? An American wrongfully detained for years. He may not be high profile, but he is innocent. This is a dangerous path,” he wrote.
Griner was sentenced last August to 9 years in prison in Russia on drug possession charges, while Bout, known as the “merchant of death,” was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States for illegal arms trafficking. .
“What about the retired marine who has been wrongfully detained for years, Paul Whelan? Surely one arms dealer is worth more than two innocent people? @POTUS “, Kinzinger reproached President Biden.
Joe Biden, shared in the morning on his Twitter account: “A few moments ago I spoke with Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She’s on her way home.”
“After months of being wrongfully detained in Russia, held in intolerable circumstances, Brittany will soon be back in the arms of her loved oneswhere it should have been all the time,” the president said during a conference.
It may interest you:
–Joe Biden celebrates freedom of Brittney Griner: “She is on her way home”
–What awaits basketball player Brittney Griner in the Russian penal colony where she is being held
–Biden expects Putin to negotiate release of American basketball player
Source: La Opinion
