Trevor Reed, a U.S. Marine veteran, has been released from a Russian jail and is on his way back to the United States, according to the Biden administration and his family. Years of family activism and recent concerns that his health was quickly deteriorating led to this decision.
Reed was traded for imprisoned pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko in an unidentified European location, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2011 for plotting to bring more than $100 million in cocaine into the United States.
"Today, we welcome Trevor Reed home and rejoice in his reunion with his family, whom he sorely missed. Trevor, a former US Marine, has been released from Russian custody "In a statement, Biden stated. "Trevor's parents' voices conveyed their concern for his health and their need for his presence. And I was overjoyed to be able to share the wonderful news of Trevor's release with them."
"The agreements that allowed us to bring Trevor home necessitated painful decisions that I do not take lightly," Biden added. He didn't go into detail.
Reed was arrested in Russia in 2019 while on a trip there and accused of assaulting a Moscow police officer. In 2020, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. He claims he has no recollection of the events of that night since he was inebriated, and his family accuses Russian officials of manufacturing the accusation. The claimed crime "clearly did not occur," according to US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, who also described his prosecution as "a theatre of the ridiculous."
The 30-year-old made news lately when he went on a second hunger strike in prison to protest Russian authorities' treatment of him, claiming that he was not being treated for indications of potential TB and instead was being held in solitary confinement. Joey and Paula Reed, his parents, mounted a demonstration outside the White House last month to raise awareness about their son's condition and (successfully) lobby for an in-person meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.
At a hearing earlier this month, a Russian court agreed to postpone Reed's appeal, and he was expected to remain in prison until the case was forwarded to a lower court.
The family revealed on Wednesday that Reed had been released after being wrongly jailed for 985 days, in an unexpected but welcome change of events.
"As we appreciate the interest in Trevor's tale, and he'll share his own narrative as soon as he's ready," they continued, "we'd politely want some privacy while we treat the variety of health concerns brought on by the wretched conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag."
The Reeds praised a plethora of local and federal political leaders, as well as diplomatic personnel, for pushing for their son and assisting to obtain his release in a statement sent through their spokeswoman. They explicitly praised Biden for "making the choice to bring Trevor home," claiming that it was a life-saving decision.
While the Biden administration and Reed's family are ecstatic about his release, they are also raising awareness about the predicament of other Americans held in Russia. Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges in 2018, and WNBA star Brittney Griner are among them.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We appreciate this crucial release while continuing to demand the release of illegally incarcerated US citizen Paul Whelan." "We are also dedicated to ensuring the release of all U.S. citizens who have been unlawfully jailed abroad."
Reed's family committed to continuing pushing for the release of Whelan and any other wrongly incarcerated Americans "who are still waiting for their own release moment."
Reed's homecoming, according to Biden, demonstrates his administration's commitment to returning home Americans taken prisoner abroad.
He went on to say, "We won't stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends."
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