Family speaks out after Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel left out of Russia-U.S. prisoner swap
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) -- A family member of Oakmont teacher and Butler County native Mark Fogel is speaking out after he was not included in yesterday's prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.
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.
Marc's sister Anne said that the family knew something was going on from the news feeds and they started calling senators, ambassadors, and the State Department and were hopeful that Marc would be on the plane.
"Marc called me yesterday morning and when I realized that he was in Rybinsk, I knew that things were not going well," she said."
Fogel's mother has been critical of the Biden administration for not trying hard enough to include her son in a prisoner swap.
Local leaders react to Fogel not being included in swap
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.
Sen. 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.
Rep. 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.
Rep. Kelly said he's disappointed and saddened that Fogel's mother hasn't seen her son for more than three years.
A spokesperson for Sen. Fetterman said he's disappointed, but he "remains confident the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to bringing Marc home."
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.
