Trevor Reed
Trevor R. Reed, a United States Marine, rose into the public eye following his arrest in Russia for alleged violence against a Russian police officer. His arrest has been criticized as being motivated by political purposes for Russian authorities. His case has been tied to the arrest and sentencing of fellow former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Incident and arrest[edit]
Following a party in May 2019, Reed became extremely drunk to the point that some friends and his girlfriend, Alina Tsybulnik, decided to leave so Reed could recover somewhere. After calling the police because they assumed a drunk tank would be safe, two officers took Reed and told Tsybulnik he could be retrieved shortly. Upon her arrival, however, she found Reed's face to be bruised and FSB officers there to interview him.[1] Reed was charged under part 2 of article 318 of Russia's Criminal Code, which refers to violence committed against Russian officers.[2][3] According to Russian authorities, while being driven to a police station, Reed grabbed for the officer driving causing the car to swerve about uncontrollably.[4]
Sentencing[edit]
On July 30, 2020, Reed was sentenced to serve nine years in a Russian prison, this in addition to time served since his arrest the previous year.[5] Reactions to the news were quick and severe. Ambassador John J. Sullivan issued a statement on behalf of the US embassy, in which he said, "Today, U. S. citizen Trevor Reed was convicted in a Russian court following a trial in which the prosecution’s case and the evidence presented against Mr. Reed were so preposterous that they provoked laughter in the courtroom. Even the judge laughed".[6] He further guaranteed that "we will not rest until Trevor is freed and returns home to the United States."[6]
Criticism of charges[edit]
Both Reed and his family have been intensely critical of the way in which the incident occurred and charges followed.
Following his sentencing, Reed said, "I think anyone who has eyes and ears and who has been in this courtroom knows that I'm not guilty".[1]
Reed's father, Joey Reed, said, "I don't know at what level this was pushed. But somewhere someone in the government has pushed for Trevor to not leave Russia. It's obvious. There's no way that anyone, Russian or American, should ever have been convicted of this nothing".[1]
The evidence used to declare Reed guilty of the charges has also been criticized as being severely insufficient. According to testimony given by Tsybulnik, the officers' claim that the vehicle swerved as a result of Reed's assault was false, and she never saw the vehicle careen while following them to the police station.[7] Additionally, despite there being security cameras in the police vehicle and police station, no footage of the alleged incident was made available to Reed's defense attorneys. Instead, Russian authorities claimed that the relevant footage had been erased.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 News, A. B. C. "Russia jails 2nd ex-US Marine Trevor Reed for 9 years amid criticism trials are political". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ "Crime Against Administration Procedure". www.russian-criminal-code.com. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ "US student sentenced to 9 years in penal colony for assaulting police in Moscow". TASS. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ "Russia jails former U.S. Marine for nine years on police assault charge". Reuters. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ Nechepurenko, Ivan (2020-07-30). "Former Marine Sentenced to 9 Years in Russia in Case Criticized as Political". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Statement by Ambassador John J. Sullivan on Conviction of U.S. Citizen Trevor Reed". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 News, A. B. C. "2nd former US Marine held in Russia for months on charges his family says are false". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
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