SITREP Pod: Free Trevor Reed, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
Manage episode 320541711 series 2966778
American citizen and former US Marine, Trevor Reed has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 16 August 2019. President of the United States Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan have all called on Russia to release Trevor immediately and allow him to return home to his family in Texas. Both the US Senate and House of Representatives have passed bipartisan resolutions calling for Trevor’s immediate release.
Trevor’s parents believe that he is being held by the Russian government at the request of the Russian security agency, the FSB so he can be used as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the United States. This would be hostage diplomacy.
We had the honour of interviewing Trevor’s parents, Joey and Paula Reed in September. Worrying developments have taken place since our last conversation five months ago. On this episode, we speak to Joey and Paula Reed again.
We discuss the potential consequences to Trevor if Russia further invades Ukraine and how he’s recovering after contracting COVID-19 in prison. We also discuss what President Biden needs to do, their recent meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, how they’ve been coping, assistance the US government could potentially provide families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas as well as how the US Marine Corps, journalists and the public can help bring Trevor home.
If you prefer, you can watch the video version of this interview on YouTube.
For more information on Trevor Reed, please check out the following:
- Our previous episode: Ep 2
- Free Trevor Reed website
- Free Trevor Reed Go Fund Me
- Free Trevor Reed Twitter account
- Social media hashtag: FreeTrevorReed
Get the latest updates on hostage cases we at Pod Hostage Diplomacy are working on including new episodes by subscribing to our fortnightly newsletter, the Hostage Briefing. Subscribe here.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Who is Trevor Reed? (00:00:48)
3. Summary of what happened to Trevor Reed (00:03:21)
4. Consequences to Trevor if Russia further invades Ukraine (00:09:41)
5. What the US government needs to do (00:10:19)
6. Trevor came into contact with someone with Tuberculosis (00:14:03)
7. Trevor contracted COVID-19 in prison (00:15:58)
8. Communicating indirectly with Trevor (00:17:02)
9. Meeting the US National Security Advisor (00:18:48)
10. What can the US Marine Corps do to help? (00:20:32)
11. What can journalists and news outlets do to help? (00:22:52)
12. What can the American public do to help? (00:25:23)
13. US government support for families of American hostages (00:26:21)
14. How the family has been coping with this trauma (00:30:07)
15. How can people keep up to date with the Free Trevor Reed campaign? (00:31:05)
16. Trevor’s parents would like to meet President Biden (00:31:58)
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