PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Marc FogelA Pennsylvania man imprisoned in Russia has been deemed “wrongfully imprisoned,” according to a U.S. State Department spokesman.
This designation by the US government was officially announced in October.
Fogel is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia for possession of medical marijuana.
Who is Marc Fogel?
As the Butler County native and his wife flew back to Russia in August 2021 for their 10th and final year of teaching in the country, Marc Fogel was arrested at the Moscow airport after his family said he had 17 grams of cannabis with him for medical reasons chronic back pain.
The Oakmont teacher was convicted of drug smuggling and drug possession and sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony in Russia.
Fight to bring Marc Fogel home
Since his incarceration, Marc Fogel’s family and lawmakers have been urging lawmakers to bring him home.
In 2022, thousands of people signed a petition calling on the US government to do more to bring him home. Legislatureincluding Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, have also put pressure on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call his detention unlawful.
In December 2022, the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner exchange that included: WNBA player Brittney Grinerbut Marc Fogel was not included in the deal.
In August, another prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States brought home all of the Street Journal reporters Evan GershkovichNavy veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsou Kurmashevabut not Marc Fogel.
When President Biden was asked about it Marc Fogel in August he said: “We won’t give up.”
An attempt was made to include Fogel in the August 1 deal, but officials were unable to make it happen.
Malphine Fogel, Marc Fogel’s mother, has previously criticized the Biden administration for not bringing her son home.
“Maybe I’m on borrowed time.” Malphine Fogel told KDKA-TV in July. “I don’t know how much time I have. I want to come home while I still know him.”
What does “wrongfully detained” mean?
Wrongfully imprisoned is a term that expresses this full force of the US government behind securing the prisoner’s release.
According to the US State DepartmentOnce it is determined that an individual is unjustly imprisoned, offices throughout the State Department and other U.S. government agencies will work with colleagues inside and outside the government to develop a strategy to secure their release.
Receiving such a decision is very rare because most cases in which Americans are arrested or detained abroad “result from legitimate law enforcement and legal proceedings,” according to the government.
Malphine Fogel sued the government in June in an effort to bring her son home from Russia.
What happens next to Marc Fogel?
Once the Secretary of State designates someone as being unlawfully detained, the U.S. government is required by law to work for their release and can impose sanctions on the country where they are being held.
It also means the case will be transferred to a department known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), which focuses on negotiating the release of detainees and hostages around the world.
However, there is no clear timeline for how long it will take to release someone.
KD Fabián and Caitlin Yilek contributed reporting.
