Trevor Reed is an American veteran who was arrested in Russia in 2019 on false charges. He’s been in prison in Russia since that time and his condition is getting worse.
Reed’s parents are now getting desperate, especially since the ongoing war in Ukraine has brought Russian-American relations to their lowest point since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Several days ago, Russia put out an announcement, saying Reed is getting top-notch healthcare for problems he’s been having, but his parents say they believe it is untrue.
They’re now sounding the alarm and asking Joe Biden to do something, panicked that Reed could end up as the next Otto Warmbier, who was viciously tortured and murdered by North Korea in 2017.
Why Did Trevor Reed Get Arrested?
Reed’s arrest happened when he was in Moscow visiting his Russian girlfriend.
He’d been dating her for years and was trying to learn Russian. Part of the reason was to help him with a university course he was taking back in the United States.
After going out one night, Reed was arrested by police and accused of beating up a cop.
He said he didn’t do it, but the court moved swiftly for a conviction. They gave him nine years behind bars for something he strongly denies ever happened.
Critics have said it is clearly a trumped-up charge and is motivated by politics to punish and blackmail Americans by the Russian regime.
[DAY 963] Trevor was taken to prison hospital LPU-21 last Friday after losing 7 lbs in 4 days on hunger strike. He was able to call to his gf one time, but he hasn’t called since. The last time he disappeared after a hospital visit, he spent 9 days in a hell hole, "by accident" pic.twitter.com/NUiGhVcitu
— Free Trevor Reed (@freetrevorreed) April 5, 2022
Reed’s Condition is Getting Worse
According to Reed’s family, he’s sick with tuberculosis and is not getting the treatment he needs.
He is also very weak from being on a hunger strike and is being held in solitary confinement in the IK-12 Russian gulag about a day’s drive from Moscow in the Mordovia region.
Despite American attempts to get Reed the help he needs, Russia turned a blind eye as his health gets worse and now, his family is worried he will die. They say he is already losing hope.
As a United States Marine, Reed served in the prestigious Presidential Guard where he protected President Obama and Joe Biden when Biden was VP.
He guarded the White House and other secure locations (such as Camp David) with his life, vowing to die before he would let harm come to the president.
Now, his family is begging Biden for help.
Today, @TheBradMielke speaks with the parents of Trevor Reed, the former U.S. Marine who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2019. Joey and Paula Reed recently met with President Biden after demonstrating outside the White House in an urgent bid to get their son home. pic.twitter.com/Cho8i16bvV
— Start Here – The Daily Podcast from ABC News (@StartHereABC) April 5, 2022
Pressure Increases
Reed’s family has been doing everything they can to save his life, especially since he started a hunger strike on March 28.
His parents have also been protesting next to the White House and ended up meeting with Biden on March 30.
It was after this, at the start of April, that Russia says it took Reed to the hospital, but his parents believe it is not a good enough hospital and he is getting worse.
With improperly treated TB, he has about a 70% chance of dying.
This is the time for Biden to step up and prove he supports vets, especially one whose former job was protecting Biden.
