In his first interview since his release, a former U.S. Marine who was jailed in Russia for two years and released last month described the conditions of a psychiatric treatment facility he believes he was sent to in retaliation for his repeated attempts to appeal his conviction.
A court hearing in Moscow on March 11, 2020, will feature a former marine charged with attacking police. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/
Reed told CNN's Jake Tapper in a clip from an interview that he was held in a cell with seven other people, some of whom were being held for sexual assault and murder.
He said there was blood all over the walls of the facility where prisoners had killed themselves or killed other prisoners.
Reed said he didn't sleep for several days because he thought people in his cell might kill him.
Reed told CNN that a lot of people are not going to like what he says. I would not let myself hope.
Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison after he was convicted of endangering the life and health of Russian police officers during a drunken altercation in 2019. Reed's family protested outside of the White House on March 30, leading to a visit with President Joe Biden. Reed will be released on April 27 in a prisoner swap with a Russian citizen who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for cocaine dealing.
Two other Americans, a former Marine and a basketball player, are still imprisoned in Russia. She was arrested in a Moscow airport in February after authorities found her luggage with drugs in it. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, and the State Department's top priority is to get her out.
CNN has an exclusive on the condition of a Russian psychiatric treatment facility.
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