Brittney Griner Stays In Russia; Trevor Reed Is Launched

US Marine veteran Trevor Reed is on his means house after being launched from Russia, the place officers mentioned he was wrongfully detained since 2019.

“At the moment, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his means again to the USA,” his household mentioned in a assertion.

Reed’s launch got here as a part of a prisoner swap with Russia, with the US sending again Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot sentenced in 2011 to a 20-year jail time period for importing greater than $100 million of cocaine.

The shock prisoner alternate was the results of lengthy and troublesome negotiations between the US and Russia, in line with each nations. The fraught diplomacy was made all of the extra extraordinary due to the utter collapse of relations between Washington and Moscow over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden, who met with the Reed household final month, mentioned in a press release on Wednesday that the negotiations to launch him “required troublesome choices that I don’t take calmly.”

“I heard within the voices of Trevor’s dad and mom how a lot they’ve fearful about his well being and missed his presence,” Biden mentioned. “And I used to be delighted to have the ability to share with them the excellent news about Trevor’s freedom.”

Reed, 30, was imprisoned for allegedly assaulting a police officer whereas he was drunk, however his household and US diplomats mentioned he was harmless, describing the proof in opposition to him at trial as “preposterous” and “absurd.” As a substitute, they mentioned he was being held as a bargaining chip.

In latest weeks, Reed’s well being had deteriorated and he had been hospitalized with indicators of tuberculosis and a potential damaged rib, in line with the State Division, making his launch all of the extra pressing.

Reed’s household mentioned Biden’s determination to go forward with the prisoner swap might have saved the previous Marine’s life. They’d beforehand expressed fears that Reed may endure the identical destiny as Otto Warmbier, the American pupil held for 17 months in North Korea who went right into a coma after his 2017 launch and died.

The State Division has beforehand declined to establish precisely what number of People have been detained in Russia, however there are not less than two high-profile prisoners who stay behind bars there: Paul Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Whelan, one other former Marine, has been detained the longest, having been first arrested on the finish of 2018, and accused of being an American spy. His household has denied this, however he was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in jail.

Ryan Fayhee, a former Justice Division official now appearing as a professional bono lawyer for the Whelan household, mentioned that they had “advanced emotions” about Wednesday’s information.

“They need the household the perfect, however in addition they view this as a missed alternative,” Fayhee mentioned, pointing to the totally different crimes the 2 swapped prisoners have been convicted of. “It was a reasonably excessive worth to pay. If you happen to make a comparability between the 2 individuals who’ve gone house at present, to not embody Paul in that may be a missed alternative.”

Fayhee known as on Biden to satisfy with the Whelans like he did with the Reeds, and take into account different choices than prisoner exchanges with the intention to free him.