Russia’s release of US basketball player Brittney Griner has been met with jubilation in the United States, where the star athlete’s family, friends, teammates and other supporters waged a months-long campaign to secure her return.
But as US President Joe Biden announced that Griner was freed on Thursday, many also asked: What about Paul Whelan, the US Marine veteran sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison in 2020 on espionage charges that Washington says are false?
