Trevor Reed, the U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia since July 2019, arrived early Thursday morning in San Antonio, TX.
NBC News reports that Trevor Reed, who was convicted in a Russian court in July 2020 of assaulting an officer — though the U.S. government described the conviction as unjust and politically motivated — was returned as part of a prisoner exchange. The trade took place in Turkey, with Russia receiving Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot serving time in the United States following his conviction for cocaine smuggling.
The arrival of the 30-year-old Reed on American soil ends a 985-day quest by his family to bring the Marine back home. The Dallas Express reported his conviction was based on an alleged August 2019 assault after becoming intoxicated, for which he was sentenced to nine years in prison.
American officials from both the previous Trump and current Biden presidential administrations had been working toward Trevor Reed’s release, saying that he was being “unjustly detained.” In addition, American ambassador to Russia John Sullivan described Reed’s four-month trial as “a theater of the absurd,” stating that the evidence presented had caused the judge in the case to laugh.
Concern over Reed’s health sharply increased after his parents, Paula and Joey Reed, noted that their son was not receiving proper medical treatment. They also indicated earlier this month that he was showing symptoms of tuberculosis and had been coughing up blood, The Dallas Express reports.
Paula and Joey had increased their pressure on the American government in recent months. In March, they gained the attention of President Joe Biden during his visit to Fort Worth, Texas, The Dallas Express reported.
Biden indicated that he would continue to work toward Trevor Reed’s release. However, when no changes occurred after nearly a month, his parents then protested outside of the White House, subsequently leading to a personal meeting with President Biden.
ABC News reported on April 27 that the State Department had notified Paula and Joey of their son’s pending release. Over the past few months, there had been additional concern that Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine would prolong Trevor Reed’s imprisonment.
While she was happy to talk to her son during his flight to San Antonio, Paula expressed concern about how he sounded.
“He just didn’t sound like himself,” said Paula. “We just asked him how he was doing, and he said, ‘I’m fine.’ But he always says that even when he isn’t. And he just didn’t sound like his normal self.”
Despite Trevor’s release, two other imprisoned Americans remain jailed in Russia.
Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, is currently serving a 16-year sentence for a conviction of spying, while WNBA player Britney Griner has been jailed since February on drug charges, The Dallas Express reports.
