All posts tagged "Prisoner"

Washington (AFP) - US efforts to negotiate the freedom of a former Marine held in Russia as part of the swap involving basketball star Brittney Griner were thwarted by Moscow's demand for the release of a convicted murderer held in Germany, according to a top US official and media reports. The swap of Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout raised questions as to why the US side had failed to secure the simultaneous release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine accused by Moscow of spying -- a charge Washington flatly rejects. White House national security spokesman John Kirby was asked......

Moscow (AFP) - Russia is moving US basketball star Brittney Griner to a penal colony after she lost an appeal against a drug conviction, her lawyers said Wednesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the White House. Griner, who has been jailed for nine years for possession of a small quantity of cannabis oil, was transferred out of a detention centre on November 4, her legal team said. She "is now on her way to a penal colony," lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement. "We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination," they added. Russi......