Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, but the basketball star’s newfound freedom highlights the growing difficulty of extracting the rising number of Americans unjustly detained abroad, activists say.
A recent study by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation shows that from 2012 to 2022, an average of 34 US citizens were wrongfully imprisoned by foreign governments each year — a 580 percent increase over the previous decade.
The foundation, which is pushing for the release of those held by foreign governments and armed groups, found at least 19 countries had wrongfully jailed Americans in 2022, mostly global opponents of the US.
Diane Foley, the organization’s president, lamented that the challenge of bringing detainees back to the United States is becoming “more complex, more extensive and more frequent.”
The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation works to secure the release of those held by foreign governments or taken hostage by armed militants
Griner was released by Russia on Thursday as part of a prisoner swap for US-imprisoned “Merchant of Death” arms dealer Viktor Bout. In April, Moscow released former US Marine Trevor Reed after more than two years in prison in the country.
But the Biden administration has failed to secure the freedom of US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been serving nearly four years of his 16-year sentence for espionage against Russia. His family insists he was in Moscow for a wedding.
Speaking to CNN, Whelan said he was “very disappointed that more wasn’t done to secure my release” and that he “can’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”
According to the foundation, the number of Americans being held abroad is rising because it takes longer to negotiate releases — as the months-long talks between Washington and Moscow to cut back on Griner’s exchange have made clear.
Meanwhile, the number of nations unfairly detained by Americans has risen from four to 19 since 2001 — three-quarters of them in Iran, China, Venezuela, Syria and Russia. Moscow and Caracas numbers have risen the fastest.
“US citizens are increasingly being targeted for incarceration for political influence” by governments with “strained or hostile ties” with Washington, according to the 12-page report released in September.
The number of nations unjustly detaining Americans has risen from four to 19 since 2001 — three-quarters of them in Iran, China, Venezuela, Syria and Russia
Governments with “strained or hostile relations” with the US are taking prisoners to gain “political leverage” against Washington, researchers say
Researchers urged the US Secretary of State to consider more of those detained abroad as wrongfully incarcerated, more action from the White House, and more money and support for the families of those incarcerated.
Griner, 32, was flown from Moscow to Abu Dhabi on a private jet on Thursday morning and walked the tarmac to her plane home, past Bout. She had spent nine years in a Russian penal colony, where she toiled under conditions of exploitation.
Speaking to the nation from the White House on Thursday, the president said Griner was “in good spirits” upon his return home and that reuniting wrongfully imprisoned Americans with relatives was a “priority” for his administration.
“I don’t want an American to go another day unjustly incarcerated if we can get that person home,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has failed to secure the release of Paul Whelan, a former US Navy officer accused of spying against Russia
Russia released former US Marine Trevor Reed in April after serving more than two years behind bars in the country
“My administration has now brought home dozens of Americans who were unjustly arrested or held hostage abroad, many of whom were held before I took office.”
Indirectly addressing the concerns expressed by Whelan and his family, the President said from the podium, “This was not a choice of which American to bring home.”
“We haven’t forgotten Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly imprisoned in Russia for years,” Biden said. “Unfortunately, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s for totally illegitimate reasons.”
“And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.’
Biden said the White House remains “in close contact” with Whelan’s family and regretted their “mixed feelings” about Griner’s homecoming.
‘We will continue to negotiate Paul’s release in good faith – I guarantee it. I’ll tell the family. I guarantee you that,’ said the President.
“I urge Russia to do the same to ensure Paul’s health and humane treatment is maintained until we can bring him home. I don’t want Americans to be wrongfully arrested and need an extra day if we can get that person home.
Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal colony after the Biden government reached an agreement with the Kremlin on a prisoner swap
Austin Tice, a former US Marine and freelance journalist seen here in an online video clip, was kidnapped in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus. His family believes he is alive and still being held in Syria, but the identities of his abductors are unknown
The president made no mention of Oklahoma-American Marc Fogel, a teacher who is also being jailed in Russia on marijuana charges.
Griner was convicted in August after her arrest at a Moscow airport in February when Russian authorities said she was caught entering the country with e-cartridges containing cannabis oil.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist’s months-long detention drew attention to Russia’s unlawfully detained population while putting pressure on the Biden administration to complete a prisoner swap for Griner’s release.
Russian and US officials had expressed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of tense negotiations, with Biden saying in November he was confident Russia would reach an agreement once mid-term elections were completed. A senior Russian official said last week that an agreement could be reached before the end of the year.
With the release of Bout, the US liberated a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel and one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood film, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of weapons that US officials said would be used against Americans .
James Foley, seen here in Libya, was captured and arrested by Islamic State militants in Syria and killed in a videotaped beheading in 2014. His mother Diane established the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation as a tribute