Parents of Trevor Reed, American Jailed in Russia, Fear for His Life

The parents of Trevor Reed, an ex-U.S. marine serving a nine-year jail term in Russia, fear that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine might mean that they will never see their son again.

Joey and Paula Reed told Newsweek that the already tricky diplomatic obstacles to lobby for the release of their son have been made a lot harder given the collapse in relations between Moscow and Washington due to the war. He was jailed on assault charges his family say were politically motivated.

The U.S. State Department has said it remains an "absolute priority" to secure the release of Trevor Reed.

"The United States just isn't negotiating with Russia and that's our problem. They could have traded for our son and possibly Paul Whelan years ago and they have completely blown that," Joey Reed told Newsweek.

Whelan is another former Marine who was sentenced to a Russian prison in 2020. He faced espionage charges and was convicted after what he said was a "sham trial."

This week, a U.S. official was able to meet basketball star Brittney Griner in the Russian prison where she has been held for over a month on drug charges.

The cases of Reed, Whelan and Griner highlight the precarious fates of American citizens being held in Russian jails on charges their advocates condemn as unjust.

Avenues for their release have been further complicated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has spurred unprecedented sanctions and condemnation from the U.S.

Last week the Kremlin reacted angrily to President Joe Biden calling Putin a "war criminal." On Thursday, the U.S. announced a new round of sanctions on more than 400 Russian elites, lawmakers, bank board members and defense companies.

"Unless our country does something before relations get any worse, if they could be any worse, or if World War Three breaks out, if they don't act immediately to bring these Americans home from Russia, we may never see any of them again," said Joey Reed.

Trevor Reed, 30, from Hood County, Texas, who grew up in Tehachapi, California is a former Marine who once served in the Presidential Guard, an elite unit that guards the president and vice president at the White House and Camp David, during the Obama administration.

Trevor Reed was in Russia visiting his girlfriend and studying Russian, which he hoped would help him fulfil the foreign language requirement of his degree program at the University of North Texas. But he was arrested in Moscow on August 15, 2019 over allegations that he assaulted Russian police officers, which he denied.

In July 2020, he was sentenced to nine years in prison in a case whose evidence was described as flimsy by the U.S. embassy and which his father called a "circus of the absurd."

He is at IK-12 penal colony in the Kostroma region, around 200 miles east of Moscow, which is home to some of the country's most notorious prisons. His family has decried a lack of consular access, in particular during his hospitalization with COVID-19 in May 2021.

Facing deteriorating health, Trevor Reed went on hunger strike in November 2021 to protest his conviction and imprisonment conditions. He contracted tuberculosis after he was in close quarters with another convict who had the disease in December 2021 and was not afforded the treatment that other prisoners got.

"There are rumors he has had major complications since then," said Joey Reed, who was concerned that his son had been coughing blood for weeks. A pulmonary specialist in the U.S. has warned the couple that untreated tuberculosis has a mortality rate as high as 70 percent.

Joey Reed feared Russian authorities could easily put more false charges on his son, a fate faced by jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, whose sentence on charges rights groups say are trumped up, was increased by nine years on Tuesday.

"Time is of the essence, these negotiations if the United States were to participate they could literally be done in a day. Time could be running out for our son, he could have permanent damage due to the disease that he has contracted while he is that gulag," Joey Reed said.

On March 8, the Reeds got Biden's attention as they waved at his motorcade holding a sign about their son on a visit to Fort Worth, Virginia.

Paula Reed said Biden later called them and said that he promised he would direct his staff to set up a meeting with them, but they have not heard anything back.

While she did not expect for the meeting to be set up immediately, she and her husband are anxiously wanting to know why they have not heard back from the White House.

They said the lack of contact had put them on an "emotional rollercoaster."

"Trevor wanted nothing more than to serve his country. We think that his service in the capacity of presidential guard is worth more than the attention from the United States government in bringing him home," Paula Reed said.

When contacted by Newsweek, a State Department spokesperson said Biden "has been very clear about the need to see U.S. citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed released."

"Regardless of any geopolitical issues and geopolitical dynamics, we work tirelessly to seek the release of all U.S. hostages and those wrongfully detained abroad whenever they are held," the spokesperson said in the statement.

"It remains an absolute priority for us to see the release of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. We continue to engage the Russian government on these cases."

Newsweek has contacted Russia's federal penitentiary service for comment.