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Marc Fogel, a native of Pennsylvania, who was arrested in Russia with medical marijuana last year and sentenced to 14 years in prison, saw his appeal rejected by a Russian court on Friday, his lawyer told Fox News Digital. the sister.
Fogel’s family is now pushing for the State Department to classify him as “wrongfully detained,” a designation that would engage more US resources to secure his release and bring his case under the purview of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
“We need to have him declared” wrongfully detained “as soon as possible,” Fogel’s sister Lisa Hyland told Fox News. “We don’t understand why the administration is dragging its feet in designating Marc as ‘wrongfully detained’.”
About a month ago, the State Department filed for humanitarian release for Fogel, who is 60 years old and has multiple debilitating health conditions.
Sasha Phillips, a lawyer who is assisting Fogel’s family in her case, said the request for humanitarian release does not go far enough.
“This request leaves all decision-making to the Russian government’s discretion and, once again, we don’t expect substantial results,” Phillips told Fox News.
“We don’t know what is holding back the ‘wrongfully detained’ designation and we continue to work towards getting Marc’s designation so that the US government can commit all necessary resources to bring him home.”
RUSSIAN OFFICERS RESPOND TO US OFFER FOR BRITTNEY GRINER, PAUL WHELAN: ‘NO AGREEMENT HAS BEEN FINALIZED’
Fogel, who has taught history in schools to the children of US diplomats around the world and spent the last decade in Russia, was detained at Sheremetyevo airport in August 2021 with just over half a gram of medical marijuana. it had been prescribed for him by a doctor in the United States
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, stands in the cage of a defendant awaiting his verdict in Moscow on June 15, 2020.
(Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that the US is discussing a potential prisoner swap that would see Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan and WNBA athlete Brittney Griner released from Russian detention in exchange for detained Russian prisoners. in the United States
Fogel’s name, however, was not on that list, an exclusion that her sister, Anne Fogel-Burchenal, called “heartbreaking”.
US OFFERS ‘SUBSTANTIVE PROPOSAL’ TO BRING BRITTNEY GRINER AND PAUL WHELAN HOME FROM RUSSIA
Several Pennsylvania lawmakers sent a letter to Blinken earlier this month demanding that Fogel be included in any potential trade.
“While it may not carry the notoriety of a famous WNBA athlete, we believe the work of the Biden administration is essential to bring Mr. Fogel safely home to his family,” rep Guy Reschenthaler, R- wrote in the letter. Penn.
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is hearing a verdict in a courtroom in Khimki, just outside Moscow, Russia on Thursday, August 4, 2022.
(Evgenia Novozhenina / Pool photo via AP)
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A State Department spokesperson said they are monitoring the situation but cannot provide further comment for privacy reasons.
“We urge the Russian government to ensure fair treatment and adequate medical care for all US citizens detained in Russia,” the spokesman said.
