Trevor Reed was visiting Moscow in 2019 when he was arrested for supposedly getting into a drunken brawl with police. He was sentenced to nine years in a labor camp. His parents campaigned tirelessly for his release.
Trevor Reed, a 30-year-old U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia for two years, has been freed in a prisoner exchange after Reed’s parents personally lobbied President Joe Biden for their son’s release.
Reed, who worked as a presidential guard during the Obama administration, was visiting Moscow to see his girlfriend in 2019 when he was arrested for supposedly getting into a drunken brawl with police. He was sentenced to nine years in a labor camp.
In prison, Reed caught COVID-19 and tuberculosis and went on hunger strikes to protest his detention.
On Wednesday, a frail-looking Reed was taken to a plane for a flight to Turkey, where he was swapped with a Russian drug runner caught up in a DEA sting 11 years ago.
Reed’s parents spoke to reporters after an emotional call from their son. They campaigned tirelessly for his release, holding a banner as a presidential motorcade passed by and protesting outside the White House.
“He looks terrible to us. As his parents, we know he does not look well. He's very thin,” Paula Reed said.
“He was walking strange, and it looks like they had to help him get up in the airplane,” Joey Reed said.
“That's our main concern right now,” Reed continued.
The dramatic release is raising hopes that WNBA star Brittney Griner may also be swapped for a Russian in U.S. custody. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.
