Family of Marc Fogel to hold rally outside White House Saturday
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - People from Western Pennsylvania and beyond are pushing the president to free Marc Fogel at a rally in Washington D.C. Saturday.
The Butler County native has remained in a Russian prison since 2021, and loved ones want him to receive the same benefits afforded to other U.S. prisoners in the country.
For nearly two years, Anne Fogel has feared what her brother, Marc is going through.
"It's hard to know," Anne said. "We're able to talk to Marc, but we don't really ever get a sense of how he's doing. He doesn't feel comfortable sharing that."
In 2021, the history teacher, 62, from Butler was detained in Russia for trying to enter the country with medical marijuana prescribed for his chronic back pain. However, in June 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
"He should have been slapped on the hand and sent home," Anne said.
Since then, Marc's family and friends have been working day and night to get the word out.
"We are stretched to the maximum," Anne said.
Anne and other relatives met with several lawmakers and their teams the past two days, the third time the family has done so in the past three months, and on Saturday, they'll take their efforts outside the White House for a rally.
"Many people don't even know that this is happening," Anne said.
They feel Marc's name needs to be in the mix with Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and they want Marc designated as 'wrongfully detained,' which would make him eligible for a prisoner swap.
"We don't wish to knock anyone down. We're just trying to raise our brother up," Anne said.
On Thursday, while in Europe, President Joe Biden said he is "serious" about a prisoner exchange to free wrongfully detained Gershkovich, saying, "I'm serious about doing what we can to free Americans who are being illegally held in Russia or anywhere else for that matter. And that process is underway."
"I have to remain hopeful that he will return, but it's distinctly possible that he may never return, and that is a hard thing to live with," Anne said.
Anne prays that day won't come, and will do whatever it takes to make sure her brother comes home.
"I hope that the White House sees that Marc has a great deal of support and has put so much more into the world than he's taken out, and he deserves to be backed by his country," Anne said.
The rally goes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
KDKA reached out to the U.S. State Department for an update on Fogel's status but has not heard back at this time.
Previously, the department said to KDKA it could only confirm that it is monitoring Fogel's situation.