Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher arrested in Russia on drug charges in 2021, has been formally classified by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, according to the State Department, as reported by the Associated Press.
“The United States has been working to secure Marc Fogel’s release for some time. We have long called for his humanitarian release and tried to include him in the August 1 deal, but were unable to. The Secretary determined Marc is wrongfully detained in October,” the department said in a statement, as reported by AP.
The Hill has contacted the State Department for further comment.
Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years on drug smuggling charges in Russia.
Fogel was left out of the prisoner swap that took place in Turkey earlier this year and involved not just the U.S., Turkey, Germany and Russia, but also Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus. It was the largest exchange of detainees since the Cold War.
Fogel’s sister, Anne, said his omission felt like they had been “stabbed in the back” during an interview earlier this year.
The AP said that the State Department has a range of factors that go into designating a jailed American as “wrongfully detained,” including if there’s credible proof that the person is innocent or if they are being held mainly for influencing U.S. policy or receiving concessions from the government.
