Trevor Reed, a former Marine from Texas, will remain imprisoned in Russia following a court hearing Tuesday morning. His case was remanded to a lower court for review, according to a report from CNN.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan in a tweet said he is “very disappointed that justice has again been denied.”
Thirty-year-old Reed, of Fort Worth, has been imprisoned in Russia for three years. He’s accused of endangering the lives and health of police officers during a night out in Moscow. Reed is serving a nine-year prison sentence.
Critics say he’s being held on trumped-up charges, and Sullivan has referred to those charges as “absurd.”
Trevor Reed’s parents, Joey and Paula Reed, on April 1 met with President Joe Biden to discuss their son’s plight. They said they fear his health is declining, and he’s not receiving proper medical attention.
“He’s not doing very well. He’s coughing up blood every day. He’s got a fever off and on,” Paula Reed said of her son’s health. “He possibly has a broken rib, or some messed-up cartilage sticking out on the side of him. He’s getting no medical treatment.”
Following the meeting with the president, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “During their meeting, the president reiterated his commitment to continue to work to secure the release of Trevor, Paul Whelan, and other Americans wrongfully held in Russia and elsewhere, and to provide all possible assistance until they and others are free and returned home to their families who are advocating so passionately for their release.”
The Reeds also called for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another Marine veteran, Whelan, both of whom are being detained in Russia.
Trever Reed’s parents also met with members of the Texas congressional delegation, including their representative, Rep. August Pfluger, R-San Angelo.
“It was great opportunity for them to really share the details of how Trevor’s doing, how we got to this point, how [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has used him as a political pawn,” Pfluger said. “Our prayers are with Trevor every single day, and their story was very powerful, to make sure that we don’t forget about it.”
The Reeds believe their son’s case is being complicated by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Pfluger told Capital Tonight that he is confident the State Department is doing what it can to bring Trevor Reed home and urged it to keep applying pressure on Russia.
“They’re isolated right now for a reason. It’s because of the actions that they’ve taken. Just like this one where they’re unlawfully detaining and holding hostage a good American that served his country and needs to come home,” Pfluger said. “We want to put pressure on the Russian government, on somebody who has displayed just an incredible lack of regard for human life. We want to make sure that he knows that the president of the United States knows Trevor Reed by name, knows where he is, and is interested in getting him home.”
Capital Tonight’s Reena Diamante contributed to this story.