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“All Courts in Russia Are Fake”: Ex-US Marine Drops Scathing Take Amid Brittney Griner’s Arrest

Published 09/02/2022, 6:00 AM EDT

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Trevor Reed decided to speak out about the Russian prisons and courts amid WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia. The former US Marine was detained in Russia for years before being released back to the United States in April. Reed told CBS that the conditions in which Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan are being held are likely to be “terrible.”

He went on to describe the Russian cells as “extremely dirty”. Reed also claimed that the food there is rotten most of the time. When asked to elaborate on the WNBA star’s treatment, he stated that her facility is probably far better than where Whelan is confined.

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Trevor Reed then continued with his vocal attacks, commenting on the Russian courts. He argued that there is a lot of waiting and that any appeal to the previous court’s verdict may take years. He even went so far as to label all Russian courts as fake. “But in the end all of those appeals are fake, they’re as fake as the first trial you receive. All courts in Russia are fake,” Reed told CBS Mornings.

Trevor Reed was detained in Russia for nearly three years. He was imprisoned for nine years behind bars in July 2020 after he allegedly assaulted Russian police officers. Reed also showered his support on Griner and Whelan, advising them to “hang in there”.

When asked to comment on the prisoner swap that the US government is negotiating for the release of the two US citizens, he stated that they have widespread public support. He also indicated that the US government is striving to get them out.

Russia and the United States engaged in prisoner swap negotiations involving Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

Last month, Russia revealed that they and the US are negotiating a prisoner swap that would return Brittney Griner to her native country. According to reports, the US government made a “substantial” offer to free Griner and Paul Whelan.

“Rumor Is This Ain’t Her First Time Being Arrested in Russia”: NBA Legend Provides Big Take On Brittney Griner’s Imprisonment Saga

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The two countries are said to be discussing this through a diplomatic channel. It was established by their respective presidents, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier stated that they were willing to negotiate a prisoner swap. However, they warned the US from participating in “megaphone diplomacy”. Simply put, Russian officials warned the US not to use public pressure to win Griner’s release, or else the negotiations would collapse.

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According to reports, the United States government offered to release convicted Russian arms trafficker Victor Bout in exchange for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan’s release.

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Written by:

Ritvik Malhotra

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Ritvik is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Ritvik has finally got his foot in the door as a professional sports writer. He previously interned at another media house where he authored over 150 soccer articles, but he is now writing about his primary obsession, basketball.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani