Sister of the teacher detained in Russia hopes for release
Sister of the teacher detained in Russia hopes for release
The family of an American teacher who in Russia is a Haves in a work camp hopes for his sooner Release. This happened after the US government recently classified it as "illegal imprisoned", which is the result for years of increasing efforts to ensure its return.
Marc Fogel's background
Marc Fogel, 61 years old, worked for almost a decade as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, where the children of American diplomats were taught.
arrest and convicted punishment
In August 2021 he was arrested at Moscow Airport when he returned during the new school year. He was caught with cannabis, which he carried with him. Fogel had about 17 grams of cannabis with him, which, according to his family and his lawyer, was recommended by a doctor to treat "severe back problems".
in June 2022 he was convicted in a dish near Moscow for "large-scale drugs smuggling"-in the same dish in which the procedure against the detained WNBA player Brittney Griner . He received a penalty of 14 years in a Russian labor camp.
response from the US government
The US State Department announced on Friday that Fogel was classified as illegal imprisoned, according to which the government's associated press enables active diplomatic efforts to take its release.
fogel was not part of a massive prisoner exchange in the past August in which the reporter of Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, and the former US marine Paul Whelan were released. The von Fogel family commented on this decision with the words that it was "completely destroyed and outraged".
family matters and hopes for a solution
"The United States have been working on securing Marc Fogel's release for some time. We have long pleaded for a humanitarian release and tried to include it in the deal of August 1," said the Foreign Ministry in an explanation, as the AP reported.
Anne Fogel, Marc's sister, told CNN that her family was satisfied with the government's decision to officially classify her brother as illegal. "We were assured that he has priority what we have been demanding for three and a half years," she said in an interview with CNN and added: "We believe that there is a plan."
Legal difficulties and humanitarian concerns
Several appeals against Fogel's 14-year prison sentence were rejected before the Russian courts. The US government had also asked Russia to leave him out of Humanitarian reasons, especially because of its age and chronic back complaints.
"He is very nervous to leave Russia, especially now in winter, since a fire broke out in the criminal colony in which he lives," said Anne Fogel. Her statement implies that her brother's accommodation were overcrowded after the barracks of some occupants were damaged by the fire.
an outlook on the future
"We'll bring you home and it will happen," she said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assesses a large number of factors to decide whether an American who is detained abroad is legally recorded. This includes, among other things, whether there are credible information that provides the person's innocence, or whether it is mainly stated in order to influence US politics or to gain concessions from the US government.
The classification as "illegal imprisoned" directs Fogel's case to the office of the special representative for hostage -taking in the Foreign Ministry.
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