The households of each Reed and Paul Whelan, any other US citizen detained in Russia, have expressed fear for his or her well-being, in particular as tensions between Moscow and Washington upward thrust.
A spokesperson for Reed’s circle of relatives mentioned his publicity to tuberculosis got here overdue final 12 months, including that the previous US Marine has no longer gained ok hospital treatment.
“Trevor Reed used to be subjected to a long, close-contact publicity to a prisoner who had energetic TB in December – that prisoner become gravely in poor health in a while after his stumble upon with Trevor. In spite of starting post-exposure prophylaxis for different inmates, Russian government have refused to do the similar for Trevor and feature up to now refused to check him,” mentioned circle of relatives spokesperson Jonathan Franks.
“Trevor continues to bitch about ache in his chest (associated with respiring, no longer his center) and government proceed to refuse him any clinical remedy in anyway. Any recommendation by way of Russian government that they’ve equipped Trevor significant hospital treatment is patently false,” Franks mentioned.
A State Division spokesperson expressed fear about reviews that Reed “had extended publicity to any other prisoner with energetic tuberculosis and in finding the loss of clinical consideration and care troubling.” The spokesperson added that the USA urges the Russian executive supply Reed right kind clinical remedy.
CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of International Affairs and the Russian Federal Detention center Carrier (FSIN) for remark.
The final time US officers visited with Reed, who used to be sentenced to 9 years in jail in July 2020, used to be overdue final 12 months. He has no longer been ready to name house for greater than 200 days.
Whelan, any other former Marine who’s at a distinct penal colony a long way outdoor Moscow, informed CNN final 12 months that “getting hospital treatment right here could be very tough.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has time and again referred to as for the discharge of the detained American citizens right through discussions with Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“We wish to speak about two US voters, Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, who had been vacationers in Russia, had been arrested, convicted with out credible proof, and we once more ask Russia to do the precise factor and allow them to come house,” Blinken mentioned in remarks sooner than his newest in-person assembly with Lavrov in January.
“And we’re actively engaged to be able to do this. And I am not going to percentage extra right here as a result of the most obvious sensitivity of it. However we wish to get Paul and Trevor house once conceivable,” he mentioned.
