“A very sensitive topic”: how the rhetoric around the exchange of prisoners develops against the backdrop of the Greiner case

Almost two weeks have passed since the sentencing of the American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling, but talk about her, including the exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States, does not subside.

Foreign officials are especially active on this topic.

At the same time, on August 13, Director of the North America Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Darchiev said that the names of Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan appear in the dialogue between Moscow and Washington.

“The discussion of a very sensitive topic of the exchange of prisoners between Russian and US citizens is taking place within the channels determined by our presidents.

Named personalities are really considered.

The Russian side has been seeking the release of Viktor Bout for a long time.

The details should be left to professionals, based on the principle of “do no harm,” TASS quotes Darchiev.

According to the diplomat, it was precisely due to such a pragmatic approach that they recently managed to carry out a “quick and successful exchange” of pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving a 20-year sentence in an American prison “on trumped up charges,” for student Trevor Reid, who was convicted in Russia for attacking policeman.

At the same time, in the United States, the attitude towards the very fact of negotiations remains ambiguous.

Many consider it unjustified, since thousands of people are imprisoned for such a violation in America.

So, the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, suggested that Joe Biden, instead of a dialogue with Russia, release all drug convicts in America.

“If the president is working so hard to free a man jailed in Russia for weed, why don't we free people in America?

There are people here who are in prison for the same reason.

Shouldn't we free them as well?

I don't think people should be in jail for non-violent drug-related crimes," Musk said on the Full Send Podcast.

A significant part of the discussion still comes down to the skin color and sexual orientation of the athlete.

According to hostage-taking and rescue expert Dani Gilbert, if Griner had a different appearance, she would have evoked more sympathy from the people of the United States.

As Gilbert noted, “A white girl or a woman who is held hostage, under arrest, or faced with something like that, arouses a lot of sympathy in the American public, which cannot be said for the situation of colored women and girls.”

On the same topic, but from a slightly different angle, they also talked on the air of CNN.

Speaking of the Greiner case, they opined that "lesbians and gays in Russia have a very difficult time," and also suggested that "American citizenship is definitely an important factor that may have led to a harsher sentence."

At the same time, Russia has repeatedly emphasized that Greiner violated the law and statements that the American was detained illegally do not hold water.

The sports community is discussing whether Greiner will be able to return to the floor.

According to UMMC captain Evgenia Belyakova, this situation will only make the American stronger.

"That's a very difficult question.

Especially given the fact that no one knows how long the excommunication will last.

Basketball players return from maternity leave and often play even better.

A lot depends on how Brittney herself perceives her current position.

Perhaps she will return to basketball even stronger, but it is possible that, having been released, she will devote herself to some other business, ”RIA Novosti quotes Belyakova.

Former football player Eduard Yugrin, who was previously sentenced to 13 years, believes that Greiner has nothing to fear.

The attitude towards athletes in prisons is good.

“Conditions are much better than they were before.

TVs, refrigerators are now available in the pre-trial detention center, there is an opportunity to go in for sports.

This was not the case before.

Could Greiner be in trouble because she's openly LGBT?

These women are isolated and held elsewhere.

My main advice to Greiner is not to lose heart.

There is a library there, she can order books.

You can learn as I did in my time.

There is a good attitude towards athletes.

There are no forced labor,” Yugrin said on the air of Match TV.

In the meantime, lawyer Alexander Boikov, representing the interests of Greiner, announced that an appeal had been filed.