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The U.S. government has officially classified Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher jailed in Russia on drug charges, as wrongfully detained, the State Department announced on Dec. 27.
Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing marijuana, which his family and supporters say was prescribed for medical use. He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Fogel’s omission from a major prisoner exchange in August, which secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, led his family to push for stronger U.S. government efforts.
His advocates urged the Biden administration to classify him as wrongfully detained, a move that typically increases diplomatic efforts to secure a detainee’s release.
The State Department confirmed that Fogel received the designation, explaining that the decision followed a review of factors, including whether his detention serves to influence U.S. policy or extract concessions from the government.
“The United States has been working to secure Marc Fogel’s release for some time. We have long called for his humanitarian release and tried to include him in the Aug. 1 deal, but were unable to. The Secretary determined Marc was wrongfully detained in October,” the department said, according to the Associated Press. The reason for the State Department’s delay in announcing the designation remains unclear.
With the designation, Fogel’s case will now fall under the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which focuses on negotiating the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
In a statement, Fogel’s wife, Jane, and his sons, Ethan and Sam, reportedly expressed gratitude for the designation. “The State Department has finally acknowledged what we have known all along — that our husband and father, Marc Fogel, has and continues to be wrongfully detained,” they said.
Who was released from Russian prisons in historic swap?
Russian activists, journalists, and dual citizens are among those who have been freed.
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