The US State Department announced the arrest of an American teacher in… Russian airport On drug charges more than three years ago, he was classified as illegally detained by the US government.
Mark Vogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in… Drug possessionwhich his family and supporters said was prescription marijuana.
Fogel was left out of a large-scale prisoner swap in August that led to the release of several Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovitch and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.
Lisa Hyland, left, and other family members of Mark Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, gather outside the White House for his release on July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
Following the prisoner exchange, which also led to the release of dozens of German citizens, Vogel's family lawyers again urged the Biden administration to act to secure his freedom, including designating him as wrongfully detained.
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs This order takes into account several factors when choosing to classify an American imprisoned in a foreign country as wrongfully detained, such as whether there is reliable information that the person is innocent or whether he or she is being held primarily to influence U.S. policy or obtain concessions. From the United States government.
“The United States has been working to secure Mark Fogel’s release for some time,” the State Department said in a statement. “We have long called for his release on humanitarian grounds and tried to include him in the August 1 agreement, but we were unable to do so. The Minister decided that Mark was being unlawfully detained in October.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that Mark Fogel was wrongfully detained in October, according to the State Department. (Photos courtesy of Elaine Keelan and Lisa Hyland)
Designating someone as wrongfully detained traditionally transfers oversight of their case to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which is housed within the State Department and focused on negotiating the release of hostages and other Americans designated as wrongfully detained in foreign countries.
Fogel's wife, Jane, and his two sons, Ethan and Sam, said in a statement that they were grateful that the State Department “finally admitted what we knew all along — that our husband and father, Mark Fogel, was and continues to be wrong.” detained.”
Russia arrests a suspect accused of killing a high-ranking general in Moscow
The exterior of the State Department complex is seen on March 14, 2023 in Washington, DC (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Now that we have the full power of the United States government behind us, we must do everything in our power to bring Mark home as quickly and as safely as possible,” the family continued.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
