Former Marine Trevor Reed's appeal for release sent to lower Russian court

Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed's appeal for release from a Russian prison was remanded to a lower court on Tuesday, effectively leaving the appeal unanswered, according to CNN.

Why it matters: Reed has been detained in Russia since 2019 and was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Moscow court in 2020 after being charged with assaulting two police officers. His family, the Biden administration and other advocates say the charge is false and politically motivated and that Reed is essentially being held hostage.

What they're saying: U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan, who attended the court proceedings Tuesday, said he was "very disappointed that justice has again been denied," according to CNN.

• "Unfortunately, the justice that Trevor deserves has been denied," Sullivan said. "His appeal was not decided today, the proceedings continue, and Trevor remains in prison for a crime he didn't commit."

The big picture: Reed is one of three Americans being held in Russian prisons.

• WNBA player Brittney Griner was detained last month on drug charges.
• Former Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 on spying charges, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.
• The U.S. Department of State in early March urged Americans to leave Russia "immediately" because of the unprovoked invasion on Ukraine and later warned that the Russian government may be intentionally seeking out Americans for detention.

Go deeper: Inside wartime Russia, Putin isn't losing