ah ah ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin, free after months in a russian prison, brittany griner is back in the united states. the plane carrying the u. s. basketball star touch down after she was handed over in a prison swap. exchange for a notorious russian arms dealer,

also coming up international outrage and calls for iran to face war sanctions after the religious regime executes a 23 year old man for taking part, an antique government. protests rights groups worn more hanging are imminent. and will smith's new movie emancipation arrives in cinemas. it is the oscar winners 1st release, assaulting comedian chris rock live on television clustering, the world cup and could tar resumes with the quarter finals. could this be messy, final match with argentina? south american reigning champions take on the netherlands and favorites, brazil, fates pro asia. ah, i'm sarah kelly. welcome to the program. a sports star for an arm stealer. us

basketball player. brittany griner is back on us soil after being released from a russian penal colony. pictures of her taken a few hours ago when a u. s. government plane touched down in san antonio, texas, in exchange for her release, the u. s. has handed over a russian arm sealer accused of supplying al qaeda and the taliban. among others. a prisoner swapped on the tarmac of ob, without the airport. it was hill, but captivity ended for us basketball star, brittany grinnell, senior on the left and the russian arms dealer rick to boot on the right. you as president joe biden spoke to griner shortly after her release. i'm glad to be able to say the brittany's in good spirits. she, she's relieved to finally be heading home. and the fact remains that she's lost months of her life experienced the needless trauma. she deserves space privacy in

time with her loved ones to recover and heal from her time being wrong through the dryness. wife sharell tanked those involved and bringing brittany home. so for the last 9 months you all have been. i'm so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life. and so today i'm just standing here. i'm overwhelmed with the emotions, but the most important emotion that i have right now is just sincere gratitude. while griner was still on her way to the u. s. boot was all righty. being welcomed by his family in moscow. he had been in the u. s. jail since 2012. solving a 25 year sentence for arms trafficking. because it greiner was arrested at moscow airport in february and sentenced to 9 years for the possession of cannabis by a russian court. these emergence published by the russian government show how being released from the penal colony. she was held in and put on a plane of

w once inside. she was asked about her well being with and with that her long ordeal is finally overall. and let's get more on this. we are joined by database, mckayla cooper and washington mckayla. as we've seen, there greiner, just arriving in the united states, do we know how she's doing? well, we have to go on is really those images. and also what the u. s. president joe biden said he described her as being in good spirits, very gracious. so she has touched down, fully able to take this trip, but no doubt this must have taken its toll. and that's it, or something that's going to be assess when she's taken, as we understand to medical facility near san antonio, where she right over this past hours and where we also expect her to be reunited

with her family. she's the top athey. she's a 2 time olympic medalist. she's missed an entire season who already heard her team speak this morning. there someone from the management is saying that they are very eager to see her, but they will give her any space or time that she potentially needs. so it top athlete who hasn't been able to train properly and who's been into tension. clearly she won't be as fit as she was going into what was described as an ordeal. and she's the sports star. of course i was, we've been hearing traded for a convicted arms dealer. was this a good deal for you as president joe biden? well, depends on how you measure it. if you look at. and indeed in arms dealer was described as the merchant of death who was sentenced for having been willing to sell weapons

to the fog, endangering us life and who served 10 years out of a more than 20 year sentence. that does raise questions, but the world isn't fair and this is global politics. and we saw a president who was able to deliver and that is the bottom line, one of his big bids, and that is bringing and unjustified detainees, us nationals home, which of course support whelan, the man who's been in detention for 4 years. the us citizen in moscow who is facing many more years in prison, go on to national television and saying that he expects the president now to act on his behalf. so yes, it's a political victory. but it also raises fresh expectations that he to should be brought home. russia is claiming that this is a victory for them. a great success diplomatically. how is the u. s. reacting to that was basically taking the hit on this, the,

it, we're seeing lawmakers in russia say that this is a complete capitulation of the united states. well, that me uprooted and his regime, they badly need a win here. they scored a political win here on the international stage, but it also is apparent for everyone to see that what is happening on the ground, for instance, in ukraine is not going ross's way. so the bigger question here in the u. s. is being raised doing these deals, does that put more us lives more people in danger in the future? and that is something that is being hotly debated here right now. mikaela cook now in washington d. c. thank you. and correspondent and russia analysts, konstantin exit. it's joining us and then the s lithuania, we've just been hearing a little bit more about the russian view on this. how is this still being seen in russia? well, it depends on who you're talking about. and i think that definitely the pocket duma

deputies and put an immediate entourage. we'll see that he delivered on his book on a very long ago pledge to bring mc victor boot home. frankly, there are many questions about the value of boot to the kremlin, although he was a very famous arms dealer to know with you know, but he served as a prototype for nicholas cage's role in the film of the law to war. all. but many people suspect that this desire of the crumbling to get him back is linked to probably some other services that boot performed for the kremlin. probably the russian intelligence, as for the way to public, it all depends on whether boots liberation will be played out on the national medium propaganda charles, to present him as a victim of the american quote unquote imperialism. or he will be led to go quite,

you know, people in his line of job they usually do not like publicity. they prefer to leave very quietly and oh, away from the glare of the of the tv camera. so we'll see how it plays out. but definitely for the politicians are full, put it on to rush for the propaganda. it is played out as a win. indeed. tell us more about my why moscow was so keen to secure the return of victor. look, i'm very essentially, if you look out what people are writing in rush media, what, what was known about boots according to rush investigative journalists, there are 2 basic suspicions about him. one is that not only he was selling arms to the taliban to kind of extreme left wing terrorists in south america. oh, plotted to kill american citizens, including the taliban too. by the way, i bought a also that he was performing intelligence sauce. i think i mentioned that there

another solution that was voiced by some, but it's completely improvement. is that maybe some of the proceed from mr. booths, go business dealings loving or business. it is business with the way i went straight into the pockets all some immunity. in mister boone's immediate, on to ra, a, both the suspicions are not completely unfounded them. and you can imagine that bob's nothing has been proven. still everyone says the determination of the kremlin in pursuit of our boots liberation really, really makes you ask these questions. time and time again. konstantin eggers, inventory a, thank you. thank you. and here are some other stories. macon is a court in moscow, has found the opposition leader ilia dash in guilty of spreading false information about the russian military in ukraine. yashimi had described the killings of civilians and to chat by russian forces as

a massacre. he could face up to 9 years in prison. a fire that broke out at a shopping mall near moscow has claimed at least one life and engulfed the entire building. initial report said that the fire broke out at 6 am local time, the cause of the place as being investigated. tuckers in south korea have and did their 16 days strike. they were demanding an increase in minimum wage and the weight of increased fuel prices. the government refused to meet their demands and used a 2004 law to ordered driver's back to work. the truckers union says it will continue its campaign. chinese president, she's been paying has met with saudi crown. prince mohammad been summoned in riyadh . it is, she's the 1st visit to saudi arabia and 6 years and only his 3rd overseas traps. since you're coping 19 pandemic began, would out he will meet other regional leaders or a china arab summit. later to banjo young. what inter national condemnation has

followed a ron's execution of a protester who took part in the anti government demonstrations, which began in september motion sakari was hanged on thursday. and activists warned that at least a dozen other iranians faced the same fate for their involvement. after this report, we will hear from a german coalition member who wants iran declared a terrorist state in response to the execution. behind the walls of the notorious evian prison motion shaker re was hanged on thursday. the death sentence against the 23 rolled, was only handed down in november and has now been very quickly carried out waterloo, as the rhymes. judiciary accused shakera of injuring a militia member during the protests. human rights groups condemned the proceedings as a false tract show trial. lacking an independent defense intended to scare off other processes by hamburrow who on thursday morning broadcast is close to the iranian regime. shed this video on social media. it was supposed to prove shikari

is guilt accompanied by dramatic music, this animal and the use of computer generated scenes of violence. the regime staged a dubious admission of guilt will observe as believe that the confession was extracted under torture and duress, iranian turkish political scientists. the reef gaskin says that systematic in iran, you know, minutia since the foundation of the islamic republic in 1979. the regime is repeatedly imprisoned, opponents tortured them and put them in front of cameras. and now they're doing that with the demonstrators. if we, they want to show them as fearful and weak people guiding them alone. as people who break when they put under enough pressure on little core cock only a few days ago, a regime propaganda channels published a video with the famous rappa too much to lay. he was who also faces the death penalty. in the video, extracts from one of his music videos were cut together with an interrogation. in

its delay, he apologizes for inciting people to protest. when on you irish gaskin believes the regime propaganda strategy is having the opposite of his intended effect to lay he and others. now heroes to many groups, good people see these stage confessions law really as a sign of the weakness of this regime was trying to prevent its downfall a regime that is increasingly under pressure. because the resistance in a rollin shows no signs of going away. and as i mentioned earlier, the german government has condemned the execution of the iranian protester and summoned to ron's ambassador to discuss it. i spoke with g dancin, a member of the german coalition government and i asked her if the german political response had in strong enough. it's definitely one signal that was not much

needed. so i think that was one of the right decision. that's not the book as all foreign minister made. i think we can do more. i think that also the majority of the will of us and parliament think that we can do more, but the more can take in germany. what would that be such as, i'm sorry, i think connection is, has a little slip there. so what we can do, definitely, and our foreign ministers already working on further attention. she is discussing what can be done to widen the miss key regime that is up and running in the western democracies, which includes asset pre a switch includes that those who are responsible for torturing demonstrators in iran who are imprisoning them, who are murdering them, cannot, cannot prey on the democracy and,

and the free wealth and just make their way through our democracies. and i think that is something we should, we should be talking and working on. and then the other thing is talking about issuing a statement that this regime is a para organization. i think that's something we should should be working on and the upcoming days and weeks. so let's press that into 2 pieces. and i just want to ask you 1st about the sanctions because despite, for example, the current sanctions, germany is a ron's largest european trading partner. is that reasonable to do business with the country that terrorizes its own people? incense drones to russia, forts warren ukraine? now it's not and that's why we need to widen the sanctions. i think we can start by those pacific sanctions that i was just talking about asset freezes,

forbidding them to enter democracies and european countries, for example. but sanctions need to also be widened on, on an economic level. definitely. so completely cutting economic ties with around i think a completely cutting of ties is always, well, it would be the cut throat decision. but i think if that should be, and i think that's the way it should move forward. if we take steps, reducing these economic ties, that would be a way forward. and our government is currently walk working on that in, in cooperation with european partners in cooperation with transatlantic partners. because i think the sanctions are most effective if it's not only including german sanctions, but rather democratic central sanctions in the world. so that's the way that we will move forward, okay, and i'd like to just quickly address. the other thing that you mentioned as well,

because more than 3 years ago in 2019 the u. s. government designated around, revolutionary gods as a terrorist organization. you say that germany and presumably also that you should move to do so. now, what do you make of, of the fact that that has not happened yet? i think that the german government for the past 3 years, or 5 years in the last legislative term, that is my fear of expertise. i would say the last government has not been looking with a realistic i to was ron and what was happening there. but these demonstrations that we're witnessing now, the courage that people bring to the streets, even though they, they, they might be imprisoned by, by these actions just demanding freedom. this is

a new level of the situation and the brutality and iran. so i think it, this decision is over and i think our current government will move forward with a realistic i that the former government in germany didn't have german lawmaker get against. and joining us with that perspective, thank you so much. ah, took a tar now and the world cup where play resumes in coming hours with 8 teams in the quarter finals. there are some interesting match ups including argentina, meeting the netherlands, that will be a repeat of the 1978 world cup final, which argentina one and with the 2022 match up likely to be a little messier, final game for his country, anticipation is high he'd have his 1st correspondent, mark meadows, his and tell her, she says katara is love for leonel massey really shows. yes it does. they're

absolutely messy. mad here in catoosa. let's be honest. there aren't that many dutch fans here. there are a few argentinians were playing beach football with them yesterday, but the vast majority of fans in the loose sales stadium tonight will be category, although be migrant workers who live there. although be from the wider gulf region, and they all love messy and the all of superstars. i was the portugal switzerland game a few days ago. all they wanted to see was christiana rinaldo. but he was on the bench. they even started brewing the pope to go coach because he wasn't bringing him on his side as winning for one. so they, there will be such a focus on messy tonight, and that might be a big advantage to argentina. but let's not forget the dutch are a big side. they are probably the biggest football team never to win the world corp . having been runners up 3 times, including that 1978 final and football fans will also remember a classic between the sides in the quarter finals in 1998 when dennis spoke. come

when it for the dutch with one of the great wilcock goals will be hoping for similar drama later on tonight. now smart man, i was speaking with us earlier, who just told us about the passion and the excitement of world cup fever and the host country will no doubt see plenty more of that later today. but as the hours count down to kick off and guitar, we also asked our colleague and deal, but in the eastern indian state of bengal. what does messy menia look like? elsewhere in the world, for example, in the city of calcutta, ha, in colquitt, thus city, wilco fewer is added speak. with flags, billboards, and cut outs of your favorite themes. fans are trying desperately to outdo each other in their displeases enthusiasm. this street named fi far afterward walls international gardening body is one site where fans regularly gather to take

a look at woke up team gravity of their favorite players. when we develop saggy of a r k of as a football fan, when i see all this beautiful graffiti around me from it awakes, my passion and love for football is well. and i take inspiration from it fairly over, juggled that india is racked 154 in the world by fever and is not the 1st choice for international footballs. but you wouldn't know that here in calcutta. india may be cricket crazy. but in calcutta, football is followed up with the religious fervor and ty, neighborhood conversations are dominated by the 2 favorites in tournament brazilian, argentina messy, rinaldo neimark, a larger than life, pier it window. india is not playing. they feel woke up at home on this freezing night. fans are leaving their houses for a special screening of one of the days matches. so no

r chucker but he has come to watch his physically, argentina, striker, luna massey, leave his 1000 maj. any worship almost worshipping we do offer our favorite teams. we wait for this world up for 4 years, and then this work up comes and we are so much excited for this world and especially the match what is happening today. that is our dba. and when mrs. scores the 1st goal of the match, the crowd goes crazy. but we'll get those fans do not just show the allow for the boot heem by cheering in front of logs fees. hot every morning, thousands of football players assemble in split ground and believe for hours. browsing supporter in font, she dreams that one day india was playing up was up. the false coach also cleans young lives yet that they have. i encourage young kids to join football and

play this game so that they can make a bright career and future outs of it's all this game also keeps them healthy. i'm also surprised how the thief i will compass it positively impacting children these days. like up the away all most read it will you look in the city. someone is doing something football related here. for the many on able to go to cut the, to watch the matches live. go cut off what is a pretty good alternate to do it soccer and through the us. now before we go, well, smith has a new movie coming out. he start in more than 50 films, but this wall carries greater importance for the man and the artist. in emancipation, the oscar winning act are portrays a slave whose horrific physical scars would aid the push toward abolition. the movie's release comes at a time when smith is rebuilding his personal reputation after assaulting comedian

chris rock on live television. ah, hollywood star will smith in the lead role of his new civil war drama, emancipation. it's the 1st major release for smith's since his assault on comedian chris rock during this year's oscars in march as punishment for the slab, smith has been banned from attending the ceremony. for 10 years, something the crew hopes, more cloud reception of the film. they're going to be people who have come with preconceived notions and, and that's why i do open that. let people who are open minded to, to seeing a film that deals with the subject of such magnitude will smith starz as a slave who makes a daring escape through the swamps of louisiana, with his sadistic master in hot pursuit. it's based on the true story of

a former slave known as which peter and the shocking photograph of his scarred back published in 18. 63. it gave american abolitionists hard proof of the atrocities of slavery. it was just the picture that i see when i was young. and now for me, all of those scars have stories to you know, it's not just one beating that's a life time work. i've been, the movie is already generating plenty of oscar buzz, and many reviews have focused on whether it could be a path to smith's redemption in hollywood, and wills. apologize and 20 times. and he feels horrible and there's nothing more he can do. he has apologize. he is learning his ways, he is owned it fully. it is what it is. so, you know, we're hoping to film and all the people that may, that are recognize that slap is of the thing that leads and i will be required for

this. emancipation stark and brutal imagery may be too much for some viewers, but its story of defiance and resilience is a reminder of the lessons of history. quick reminder of our top stories, american basketball star, brittany griner, is back on us soil. the united states secured her release from russia penal colony as part of a prisoner swap with russian, victor boot accused of helping to arm the taliban and al qaeda of next is asia. they see with us because for that, i'm sorry. kelly and berlin, thanks for watching. ah, with

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