[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 33 (Monday, February 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S773-S774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 67--CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF TREVOR REED, 
A UNITED STATES CITIZEN WHO WAS UNJUSTLY FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO 
                      9 YEARS IN A RUSSIAN PRISON

  Mr. CORNYN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                               S. Res. 67

       Whereas United States citizen Trevor Reed is a resident of 
     Granbury, Texas, and a United States Marine Corps veteran;
       Whereas Trevor Reed traveled to Moscow, Russia to visit his 
     girlfriend on May 16, 2019;
       Whereas Moscow City Police detained Trevor Reed on August 
     16, 2019;
       Whereas Trevor Reed was accused of endangering the lives of 
     the police officers by grabbing the arm of the police officer 
     driving the vehicle and elbowing another officer while 
     enroute to the police station, causing the vehicle to swerve;
       Whereas Trevor Reed was not given food or water until 
     approximately 72 hours after his initial arrest;
       Whereas Trevor Reed was not given a medical evaluation of 
     his injuries until 10 days following his arrest;
       Whereas the defense team representing Trevor Reed--
       (1) presented video evidence to the courts that disproved 
     the statements by the police officers about supposed 
     endangerment and wrongdoing; and
       (2) was denied access to additional video evidence from 
     inside the police vehicle and police station that had the 
     potential to prove Trevor Reed was innocent;
       Whereas the police officers claimed emotional and physical 
     damages, but they did not sustain any visible injuries or 
     claim any time missed from work;
       Whereas the Constitutional Supreme Court of the Russian 
     Federation and the Second Court of Cassation of General 
     Jurisdiction concurred that Russian procedural law was 
     violated in the way that Trevor Reed's bail was revoked;
       Whereas the United States Embassy in Moscow has filed 
     complaints with the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding denial 
     of communications with Trevor Reed;
       Whereas during the trial, the defense counsel representing 
     Trevor Reed presented 59 minutes of traffic camera video from 
     4 traffic cameras that showed the police car--
       (1) did not change direction or leave its lane;
       (2) did not swerve; and
       (3) did not stop or slow down;
       Whereas the Investigative Bureau and Golovinsky District 
     Court Judge Dimitry Arnout denied a request by Trevor Reed to 
     investigate how his injuries occurred;
       Whereas, on July 30, 2020, Judge Arnout read a verdict that 
     dismissed all defense evidence, witnesses, and government 
     experts and only considered select excerpts of the statements 
     by the police officers;
       Whereas the judge sentenced Trevor Reed to 9 years in a 
     prison camp even though--
       (1) no person had previously been sentenced to more than 8 
     years in prison for similar crimes; and
       (2) lesser sentences have been given to individuals who 
     used weapons to inflict life threatening injuries to police 
     officers;
       Whereas the judge also ordered Trevor Reed to pay 100,000 
     rubles to each police officer for moral and physical 
     injuries;
       Whereas Trevor Reed had already been detained in Russia for 
     1 year at the time of the verdict by the judge;
       Whereas, after the Trevor Reed was sentenced, the United 
     States Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, stated that--
       (1) the case by the prosecution and the evidence presented 
     against Trevor Reed were ``so preposterous that they provoked 
     laughter in the courtroom'';
       (2) the conviction and sentence were ``ridiculous''; and
       (3) ``justice was not even considered'';
       Whereas upon appeal to the Moscow City Court, the 
     Golovinsky District Court failed

[[Page S774]]

     to provide Trevor Reed with translated copies of the decision 
     by the court and trial transcripts as required by law; and
       Whereas Judge Arnout refused to correct corrupted 
     transcripts even after being provided third-party certified 
     corrections and ordered to do so by the appeals court: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation 
     immediately release Trevor Reed and all other prisoners 
     arrested for political motivations;
       (2) condemns the practice of politically motivated 
     imprisonment in the Russian Federation, which violates the 
     commitments of the Russian Federation to international 
     obligations with respect to human rights and the rule of law;
       (3) urges the United States Government, in all interactions 
     with the Government of the Russian Federation, to raise the 
     case of Trevor Reed and to press for his release;
       (4) expresses support for Trevor Reed, Paul Whelan, and all 
     prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation;
       (5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation provide 
     unrestricted consular access to Trevor Reed while he remains 
     in detention;
       (6) until the release of Trevor Reed, calls on the 
     Government of the Russian Federation to--
       (A) provide Trevor Reed any necessary medical treatment and 
     personal protective equipment;
       (B) notify the United States Ambassador to Russia of any 
     medical problems or complaints that arise during his 
     detention; and
       (C) provide the United States Embassy in Moscow with full 
     access to all of the medical records of Trevor Reed;
       (7) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     respect universally recognized human rights of Trevor Reed; 
     and
       (8) expresses support to the family of Trevor Reed and a 
     commitment to bringing Trevor Reed home.

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