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[Page S4945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
______
SENATE RESOLUTION 667--CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF TREVOR
REED, A UNITED STATES CITIZEN WHO WAS UNJUSTLY 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. 667
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 to visit his
girlfriend on May 16, 2019;
Whereas Moscow's Police Service detained Trevor Reed on
August 16, 2019;
Whereas Trevor Reed was accused of grabbing the arm of the
police officer driving the vehicle and elbowing another
officer while en route to the police station, causing the
vehicle to swerve and therefore endangering the lives of the
police officers;
Whereas Trevor Reed was not given a medical evaluation
until 10 days following his arrest;
Whereas Trevor Reed's defense team presented video evidence
to the courts that disproves the police officers' statements
of supposed endangerment and wrongdoing;
Whereas Trevor Reed's defense team was denied access to
additional video evidence from the police vehicle and police
station that had the potential to prove his innocence;
Whereas the police officers claimed emotional and physical
damages, but did not sustain any visible injury, 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violated in the way that Trevor Reed's bail was revoked;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 presented 59
minutes of traffic camera video 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 on July 30, 2020, Golovinsky District Court Judge
Arnout read a verdict that dismissed all defense evidence,
witnesses, and government experts and included information
from the investigator's case files that were not discussed or
read into the court files;
Whereas the judge sentenced Trevor Reed to 9 years in a
prison camp even though no person had previously been
sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for a level II
crime;
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 judge's verdict;
Whereas, the United States Ambassador to Russia, John
Sullivan, upon Trevor's sentencing, stated that the
prosecution's case and the evidence presented against Mr.
Reed were ``so preposterous that they provoked laughter in
the courtroom'', the conviction and sentence were
``ridiculous'', and ``justice was not even considered''.
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses support for Trevor Reed, Paul Whelan, and all
prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation;
(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 its
interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation,
to raise the case of Trevor Reed and to press for his
release;
(4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to
immediately release Trevor Reed and all other prisoners
arrested for political motivations;
(5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to
provide unrestricted consular access to Trevor Reed while he
remains in detention;
(6) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation--
(A) to provide Trevor Reed any necessary medical treatment
and personal protective equipment;
(B) to notify the United States Ambassador to Russia of any
medical problems or complaints that arise during his
detention; and
(C) to provide the United States Embassy in Moscow with
full access to all of Trevor Reed's medical records;
(7) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to
respect Trevor Reed's universally recognized human rights;
and
(8) expresses support to the family of Trevor Reed and
commitment to bringing Trevor Reed home.
____________________
