PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Marc Fogela Pennsylvania man imprisoned in Russia has been designated as “wrongfully detained,” according to a U.S. State Department spokesperson.
This designation by the US government was made official in October.
Fogel is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia for possession of medical marijuana.
Who is Marc Fogel?
When the Butler County native and his wife returned 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 transported 17 grams of cannabis for medical reasons. to treat chronic back pain.
The Oakmont teacher was convicted of drug trafficking and possession and sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony in Russia.
Fight to bring Marc Fogel home
Since his imprisonment, Marc Fogel’s family and urged lawmakers to bring him home.
In 2022, thousands of people signed a petition calling on the U.S. government to do more to bring him home. The legislatorsincluding Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Representative Guy Reschenthaler, also pressured President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate his imprisonment as unjust detention.
In December 2022, the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner exchange including Brittney Griner, WNBA playerbut Marc Fogel was not included in the deal.
In August, another prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States brought a Wall Street Journal reporter home. Evan GershkovitchNavy Veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsou Kurmashevabut not Marc Fogel.
When President Biden was asked about Marc Fogel in August he said, “We’re not giving up on this.”
An attempt was made to include Fogel in the August 1 agreement, but officials were unsuccessful.
Malphine Fogel, mother of Marc Fogel, 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 left. I want to go home while I still know him.”
What does wrongful detention mean?
Wrongful detention is a designation that puts the full force of the US government behind to obtain the release of the prisoner.
According to the US Department of StateOnce it has been determined that an individual is being unjustly detained, the State Department’s offices and other U.S. government agencies will work collaboratively with colleagues inside and outside of government to develop a strategy aimed at securing his release.”
Getting a ruling is very rare, because most cases of Americans arrested or detained abroad “arise from legitimate judicial and law enforcement processes,” according to the government.
Malphine Fogel continued the government in June in an attempt to bring her son back from Russia, but the lawsuit was dismissed Thursday.
What happens next for Marc Fogel?
Once the Secretary of State designates a person as wrongfully detained, the U.S. government is required by law to work toward their release and can impose sanctions against the country detaining them.
It also means the case is being transferred to a division known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA, which focuses on negotiations for the release of detainees and hostages around the world.
But there is no specific timetable for how long it will take to release someone.
What lawmakers are saying about Marc Fogel
Senator Casey said the government’s designation is an “important step” but that the United States “must finish the job and bring Marc home.”
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio said “the fight to free him from his wrongful detention in Russia is not yet over,” while U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said the designation “is long overdue” before adding that he will work until Marc Fogel is free and reunited with his family.
KD Fabián and Caitlin Yilek contributed reporting.
