HOUSTON—U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a resolution earlier this week calling for the immediate release of Trevor Reed, a veteran of the U.S. Marines and student at the University of North Texas, from Russian prison. The resolution calls for release of all political prisoners, condemns politically motivated imprisonment in the Russian Federation, demands that the Russian government respect Trevor Reed’s human rights, and expresses support for the Reed family.
“Trevor Reed has been detained for far too long, for trumped-up charges that current evidence on file does not support,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I cannot imagine what Trevor and his family are going through, and I call on the Russian government to release him and all political prisoners immediately.”
Text of the resolution is here.
Background:
Trevor Reed, 28, is a former U.S. Marine who lives in Hood County, TX, who was studying International Studies at the University of North Texas. In May 2019, he traveled to Moscow to study Russian and visit his girlfriend. In August 2019, shortly before he planned to return to the U.S., he was charged with assaulting police officers who were driving him to a police station after picking him up following a night of heavy drinking at a party.
On July 30, 2020, Reed was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison.