Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel not included in Russia-U.S. prisoner swap
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher serving a 14-year sentence in a Russian penal colony, wasn't part of Thursday's prisoner swap despite a push from U.S. lawmakers.
Fogel has been detained in a Russian prison since August 2021 after he was caught with less than an ounce of medical cannabis used to treat a back injury. The U.S. on Thursday secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, but not 63-year-old Fogel.
Amid the news of a 24-person prisoner swap between the U.S., Russia, Germany and three other Western countries, Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman along with U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio and Guy Reschenthaler asked for Fogel to be included, saying he has severe health issues and has been unjustly imprisoned.
But Fogel, a Butler native who was living in Oakmont, wasn't released. In a later statement, Casey called the deal good news for Gershkovich, Whelan and their families but said the country can't forget about Fogel, whose health has "declined significantly" since he became imprisoned.
"His 95-year-old mother, Malphine, fears she will never see him again. As we celebrate the good news of today, we cannot forget about Marc and the Fogel family," Casey said.
Casey acknowledged that "negotiating with a foreign adversary is no easy task," but in the same way the U.S. has brought home Americans like Brittney Griner, Gershkovich and Whelan, Fogel should be a priority.
Deluzio echoed Casey's sentiments.
"I'm of course happy for the families of those who are coming home but I'm disappointed. I'm frustrated that Marc Fogel remains in prison in Russia," Deluzio said.
Deluzio said Fogel should be released even without a prisoner swap.
"The Russians ought to be releasing him on humanitarian grounds. He's been really suffering through some medical conditions and a pretty brutal confinement he's experiencing in Russia," he said.
Kelly said he's disappointed and saddened that Fogel's mother hasn't seen her son for more than three years.
A spokesperson for Fetterman said he's disappointed, but he "remains confident the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to bringing Marc home."
There's been no explanation yet from the White House on why Fogel was excluded. In some emotional remarks, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did mention Fogel, saying we draw inspiration from those still held hostage around the world.
"And that includes Mark Fogel, who we are actively working to get his release from Russia as well," Sullivan said.
Casey along with Fetterman, Kelly, Deluzio and Reschenthaler have been pushing for Fogel's release for years, sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in August of 2022, urging him to classify Fogel as wrongfully detained.