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While the Russian-American prisoner swap might go down in history as a landmark political event, it left behind Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel—with his family blaming Biden for playing favorites.
Knewz.com has learned that Fogel's 95-year-old mother has claimed that the Biden administration did not do enough for her son's release because "he is a common American citizen."
The prisoner swap between Russia and the United States, Germany, and three other Western countries, facilitated the homecoming of 24 people who had been imprisoned in Vladimir Putin's territory, including noted figures such as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Russian British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Notably, the prisoner swap on August 1 was reportedly the biggest one between Russia and the U.S. since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
However, Fogel, who was arrested back in 2021 for trying to enter Russia with an ounce of medically prescribed marijuana that he needed due to his back injury, remained incarcerated on foreign soil.
Following his arrest at a Moscow airport, Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia for his "crime."
It has been reported that Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, along with House Representatives Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio, and Guy Reschenthaler, asked for the 63-year-old's release from wrongful imprisonment as part of the latest prisoner swap.
Senator Casey stated that although the prisoner swap deal spelled good news for Gershkovich, Whelan, and their families, America "cannot forget" about Fogel—who reportedly has health issues that have only gotten worse as he serves time at a Russian penal colony.
"His 95-year-old mother, Malphine, fears she will never see him again. As we celebrate the good news of today, we cannot forget about Marc and the Fogel family," the Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania was quoted as saying.
Marc's mother Malphine Fogel, who has been advocating for her son's release since his imprisonment, said about the recent prisoner swap that she heard about it on the news "with pain."
She has since pointed out that Marc has been imprisoned in Russia for longer than Gershkovich – who was arrested in March 2023 – and that her son was arrested for a crime similar to that of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was released in 2022.
"I am happy for the people released and their families... [But] I can’t fathom why Marc wasn’t included," Malphine said, adding that her son was also not declared "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. State Department, unlike Gershkovich, Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (also released during the latest prisoner swap).
She specifically named Senator Casey and said that he needs to "be more forceful to get [Fogel] designated unlawfully detained."
"I don’t think the administration is trying hard enough for him... I guess because he is a common American citizen," the 95-year-old mother alleged.
She further said that former President Donald Trump had promised to bring her son home when they spoke before his Butler rally, an event marked by an attempt on his life.
However, she stated that she had not seen many actual notable efforts made by the Biden administration to facilitate Fogel's release, claiming that U.S. negotiators have once again overlooked him.
PBS News spoke to Marc's sister Anne Fogel, who described the past 48 hours as "heartwrenching." When she realized that her brother had not yet been pulled out of the penal colony in Rybinsk where he was held, she said her "heart really sank."
Anne added that she had spoken to Marc the previous morning, who told her that he had some idea about "something going on" from the Russian news coverage being played at the penal colony, but was otherwise in the dark about the specifics.
To get a clearer picture, Marc called his sister, who did not have the heart to tell him about the prisoner swap of which he would not be a part. "I know this is crushing him. So I didn't want to tell him what I knew," Anne told PBS News.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the government will continue to strive for the freedom of all the American nationals imprisoned in Russia, including Marc.
"We’re going to build on it [the August 1 prisoner swap], drawing inspiration and continued courage from it for all of those who were held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. And that includes Marc Fogel, who we are actively working to get his release from Russia as well," Sullivan said in a statement.
U.S. representative Deluzio also called for Marc's release, adding that he should be freed even without a prisoner exchange deal.
"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... The Russians ought to be releasing him on humanitarian grounds. He's been really suffering through some medical conditions and a pretty brutal confinement he's experiencing in Russia," Deluzio said.