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Brittney Griner expressed her gratitude to all her fans who supported her throughout her ordeal in Russia. Griner also called for them to show the same support and advocate for the release of former United States Marine Paul Whelan.
In a post on her Instagram account, the Phoenix Mercury star thanked everyone who made the effort to secure her release. Griner was detained in Russia for more than 10 months, including a short stint in a penal colony.
"Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after 10 months," Griner wrote. "You took time to show me you cared and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered. Your letters helped me to not lose hope during a time when I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Because of you I never lost hope."
Brittney Griner also called for her supporters to make more noise for Paul Whelan, who is still detained in Russia. Whelan was arrested back in 2018 and was accused of spying. After two years, he was given a 16-year prison sentence.
"Your letters were also bigger than uplifting me," Griner added. "They showed me the power of collective hands. Together, we can do hard things. I'm proof of that. My family is whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together. However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained.
"Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the WeAreBG campaign to bring me home and it's our turn to support them. I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families."
Why Paul Whelan was not part of the Brittney Griner deal?
Before the United States government secured the release of Brittney Griner, they were negotiating a 2-for-1 deal involving Paul Whelan and Viktour Bout. But according to T.J. Quinn of ESPN, Russia only wanted a Griner-for-Bout trade and the U.S. had not choice but to accept the deal.
Bout is a Russian arms dealer who is famous for being called the "Merchant of Death." Whelan's family understood the decision and supported the U.S. government's action. His twin brother, David, also gave a statement regarding Griner's release via Jay O'Brien of ABC News.
"I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home," David Whelan said. "As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays. There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be free and for them to go home.
"The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn't going to happen."
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