Kelly statement on Marc Fogel's designation as 'wrongfully detained'

On December 27, 2024, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement after Pennsylvania teacher and Butler County native Marc Fogel was designated by the U.S. Department of State as 'wrongfully detained' in Russia.

"Marc Fogel’s designation as wrongfully detained is long overdue, but I’m pleased to see the State Department take this critical step. For years, I have met with the Fogel family and I have advocated in Congress for this designation," Rep. Kelly said. "We will continue to work toward the day when Marc is free and is reunited with his family in Western Pennsylvania."

BACKGROUND

Since Marc Fogel was imprisoned in Russia in 2021, Rep. Kelly has advocated for Fogel's safe return to the United States. 

Marc Fogel, a Butler, Pennsylvania native, taught history courses at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman, Malaysia, and, for 10 years, in Russia. Fogel was detained on August 14, 2021, and is serving a 14-year hard-labor sentence for possession of medical marijuana used to treat his severe back injury, a charge very similar to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner.

Under federal law, Fogel meets established criteria to be designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department. He has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained. Griner was designated in less than three months after her arrest. On December 8, 2022, Griner was released from Russian prison via a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.” Fogel remains in a Russian penal colony serving his sentence.
 

You can learn more about Kelly's recent legislative work below:

• In a December 2023 letter, members of the Pennsylvania delegation made a similar call to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that any potential prisoner swap must include Fogel, along with Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.
• Rep. Kelly has previously led efforts to free Mr. Fogel, including by introducing The Marc Fogel Act in June. This legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to require more transparency from the State Department to Congress on how wrongful detainment determinations are made.