Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran, was freed from a Russian jail as part of a prisoner swap, according to President Biden. In return for him, the US trades a Russian pilot and a drug trafficker, Konstantin Yaroshenko.
Trevor Reed, a former Marine from Texas who was incarcerated in a Russian jail, is released as part of an international prisoner swap. The news was announced by the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday,
His parents are overjoyed to finally meet their son after three years of imprisonment.
US Marine Trevor Reed’s Parents: Paula And Joey Are Happy About Him Getting Released
Us Marine Trevor Reed’s mother, Paula Reed, and father Joey are relieved that he is released by Russia in a prisoner exchange with the United States.
“Our prayers have been answered today,” his family remarked. Reed, of Texas, was apprehended in the summer of 2019 when Russian officials said he attacked a police officer.
The swap between Russia and the United States took place on Wednesday when Reed was exchanged for convicted Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko.
Since 2011, the Russian pilot, Yaroshenko was serving a 20-year sentence for transporting cocaine into the United States. The transfer occurred “as a consequence of a lengthy negotiating process,” according to Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Today, we welcome Trevor Reed home and celebrate his return to the family that has missed him greatly,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
According to senior US officials, Wednesday’s meeting was not the start of a larger diplomatic engagement, but rather focused on a “discrete collection of prisoner concerns.”
As a result, the relatives of other American prisoners in Russia are concerned about their fate. Some of them are Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s basketball, and Paul Whelan, a former US marine.
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Who Is Trevor Reed?
Trevor Reed is a former US marine who was detained in Russia on assault charges. He was detained at Moscow’s Detention Center No. 5.
Reed was arrested and accused of putting the lives of the two police officers who had taken him to the station in jeopardy. Investigators believe he assaulted the cops while they were in the police car, shaking the driver by the shoulders.
Furthermore, he forced them to veer into oncoming traffic placing them in grave danger. Prosecutors had filed a severe offense with a possible penalty of ten years in prison.
The two cops testified as witnesses in the court and both struggled to recollect the incident in detail. They gave statements that suggested it was less serious than the prosecution had depicted.
Paula stated that her family attempted to raise awareness about their son’s incarceration. But they were unable to make any progress owing to other issues dominating the news, such as the outbreak of the pandemic.
Finally, he was released as part of a Russian prisoner exchange. This has provided hope to other American Prisoners in Russia.
Why And How Was Trevor Reed Arrested? Story Of His Detention
Trevor Reed went to Moscow in 2019 to learn Russian and see his Russian partner. He was detained by two police officers after visiting a party on a wild night out.
According to BBC news, he is reported to have seized the police officer driving, forcing him to swerve dangerously. Moreover, it is reported that he elbowed the second officer who tried to interfere while being driven to the police station.
He pled not guilty, claiming he had no recall of the incident but was sentenced to nine years in jail on assault charges in 2020.
The US government has expressed many concerns about the impartiality of his conviction, with US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan. The government stated that Mr. Reed “remains in prison for a crime he did not commit.”
However, he was neither released nor exchanged. Joey and Paula claim that their son was mistreated in prison and appears to have developed TB.
Last month, his parents staged a demonstration outside the White House, eventually winning a meeting with the president.
After President Biden shortened Mr Yaroshenko’s sentence, the prisoner swap was carried out through Turkey.