Elected officials in Pennsylvania are reminding the Biden-Harris administration that they did not bring home every detained American in its large-scale prisoner swap.
Marc Fogel is a teacher from Pennsylvania who was detained in Russia on August 14, 2021. He was arrested for bringing marijuana – which had been prescribed to him for chronic back pain by an American doctor — into the country. Fogel was about to begin his 10th year teaching at a Russian school and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
He turned 63 on July 28, according to Senator Bob Casey who vowed to “keep fighting to bring Marc back home.”
The Pennsylvania Congressional delegation repeatedly asked the Biden administration to include Fogel in any prisoner swap. The bipartisan group – comprised of Casey, Senator John Fetterman as well as Representatives Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio, and Guy Reschenthaler – also urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a December 2023 letter not to leave the teacher behind.
“Any potential prisoner swap must include Pennsylvania’s Marc Fogel,” said Congressman Kelly in a post on X before the details of the new prisoner swap were made public.
Three American citizens – United States Marine veteran Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporters Even Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva – as well as American green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza were part of the 16 people released in exchange for 8 Russian prisoners.
Fogel’s exclusion from the deal weighed heavily on the minds of the Pennsylvania officials.
“Although we’re happy to hear of the impending release of Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, I join my friend Guy Reschenthaler in calling for any prisoner swap to also include wrongfully imprisoned Pennsylvanian, Marc Fogel,” said Congressman Meuser in a post.
“For years, I have been working alongside Marc’s family to push the Administration to bring Marc home,” said Casey in a statement on Aug. 1. “Negotiating with a foreign adversary is no easy task, but as the Administration has worked to bring home high-profile Americans like Brittney Griner, Evan Gershkovich, and Paul Whelan—we have only asked that they also prioritize Marc’s release.”
“While Marc’s name may not be in the news every day, he is no less deserving of a reunion with his family,” the senator added. “I have not forgotten about Marc, and I will never give up on bringing him home. I urge everyone who fought to bring Evan and Paul home to now work to do the same for Marc.”
The Democrat president did not specifically mention Fogel when commenting on the swap but noted that Americans are still detained abroad.
“We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world,” Presidnet Joe Biden said in a statement. “And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”
In addition to Fogel, dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, William Russell Nycum and Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black were all arrested and detained by the Kremlin earlier this year. They remain in Russian custody.
