Brittney Griner is not a 'political pawn.' She is a kidnap victim

At the hearing where a Russian judge sentenced Phoenix Mercury basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years behind bars, Griner said, “I know that everybody keeps talking about ‘political pawn’ and politics, but I hope that that is far from that courtroom.”

But politics was not far. It was right there. The wolf in the courtroom. And it swallowed her whole.

Griner was busted for, she said, mistakenly bringing with her to Russia vape cartridges that contained what Russian investigators said was .702 grams of cannabis oil.

The weight of a paper clip. A raisin. A dollar bill.

Just enough to get her busted.

Enough to have her taken hostage.

The American basketball star isn’t a political pawn; she’s a kidnap victim. And the thug holding her is Vladimir Putin. When former President Donald Trump was kissing up to Putin, the late Sen. John McCain warned him against it, calling Putin “a murderer and a thug.”

The long list of Putin's lost critics

And for good reason.

How many times over the years have news organizations reported on critics of Putin being assassinated or imprisoned?

One of the more recent was Alexi Navalny, who survived a poisoning attempt on his life only to be thrown into prison on trumped up charges.

Another view: US makes a dangerous chess move with Brittney Griner

Before him were people like Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and Putin detractor poisoned with polonium-210 in London.

Or the critical Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya shot and killed in a elevator.

Or Paul Klebnikov, chief editor of the Russian edition of Forbes, murdered in a drive-by shooting.

The list goes on and on.

Russia doesn't play by the same rules

In Vladimir Putin’s version of chess, the pawns and rooks and knights aren’t just swept off the board. They’re murdered.

Griner’s minor offense has made her a major asset in Putin’s criminal enterprise, a hostage whose eventual release will cost the United States dearly, because we don’t play by the same rules.

Not playing ball: Russian media unmoved by US offer in swap for Griner

There are idiot conservatives trying to use Griner’s misfortune as a way to criticize President Joe Biden. They forget (or ignore) the fact that Americans Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed were held in Russia during Donald Trump’s term.

Reed was freed in April in exchange for a Russian pilot serving a 20-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Dealing with Griner's kidnappers will get ugly

The U.S. is currently trying to make a deal to get Griner and Whelan back, but if and when that happens it won’t be pretty. Dealing with kidnappers never is.

Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, a Russian historian who has consulted with the WNBA players’ union during Griner’s detention, told The New York Times that Griner’s sentencing “does not mean she’s going to be involved in a prisoner swap any time soon. Just keep that in mind because this is still a process, but it’s the next step in the process. It could be weeks. It could be months. A lot of it depends on Russia.”

Or as Jonathan Franks, who worked with Reed’s family said of Griner’s situation, “One thing Americans need to realize is, we’re dealing with thugs.”

Yeah, a guy we knew tried to tell us that once before.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brittney Griner is not a 'political pawn'; she is a kidnap victim