The U.S. Department of State announced on Friday (December 27) that American teacher Marc Fogel, who was arrested in Russia over three years ago on drug charges, has been officially recognized by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained.
Fogel is a history teacher from Pennsylvania and was detained in a Russian airport in August 2021 for carrying medical marijuana.
At that time, he was found with approximately 17 grams of marijuana, which his family and lawyer claimed was prescribed by American doctors for treating chronic pain. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia.
In August of this year, the U.S. and other Western countries released 8 Russians in exchange for Moscow releasing 16 individuals, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
However, Fogel was excluded from this large-scale prisoner swap.
Subsequently, his family once again pressured the Biden administration to ensure his freedom, including designating him as wrongfully detained.
When deciding whether to designate an American detained abroad as wrongfully detained, the U.S. Department of State must consider a range of factors, including whether there is reliable information indicating the individual’s innocence.
These factors also include whether the primary purpose of their detention is to influence U.S. policy or secure concessions from the U.S. government.
U.S. officials confirmed on Friday that Fogel has now received this designation.
In a statement, the State Department said: “The United States has been working for some time to secure the release of Marc Fogel. We have long called for his humanitarian release and attempted to include him in the August 1st swap agreement, but were not successful. The Secretary of State determined in October that Marc was wrongfully detained.”
Following this designation, the case will be transferred to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, a State Department office dedicated to the release of hostages and aiding wrongfully detained American citizens.
Fogel’s wife Jane and sons Ethan and Sam said in a statement that they are grateful that “the State Department has finally acknowledged what we have always known, that our husband and father Marc Fogel has been and will continue to be wrongfully detained.”
The statement read: “Now that we have the full weight of the U.S. government behind us, we must do everything in our power to bring Marc back home quickly and safely.”