PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Mark Vogel, a Pennsylvania man imprisoned in Russia, has been classified as “unlawfully detained,” according to a U.S. State Department spokesperson.
This designation by the US government was made official in October.
Fogel is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia for possession of medical marijuana.
Who is Mark Vogel?
When the Butler County native and his wife returned to Russia in August 2021 to spend their 10th and final year teaching in the country, Mark Vogel was detained at the Moscow airport after his family said he was carrying 17 grams of cannabis for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.
The Oakmont teacher was convicted of drug trafficking and drug possession and sentenced to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony in Russia.
Fight to bring Mark Vogel home
Since his imprisonment, Mark Vogel’s family and lawmakers have urged lawmakers to send him home.
In 2022, thousands of people signed a petition demanding that the US government do more to bring him home. Lawmakers, including Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Jay Reschenthaler, have also pressured President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to classify his imprisonment as wrongful detention.
In December 2022, the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner exchange involving WNBA player Brittney Griner, but Mark Vogel was not included in the deal.
In August, another prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States brought back Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsou Kurmasheva, but not Mark Fogel.
When President Biden was asked about Mark Fogel in August, he said: “We’re not going to give up on that.”
An attempt was made to include Fogel in the August 1 deal but officials were unable to make it happen.
Malvin Vogel, mother of Mark Vogel, He has previously criticized the Biden administration For not bringing her son home.
“Maybe I’m on borrowed time.” Malvin Vogel told KDKA-TV in July. “I don’t know how much time I have. I want to go home while I still know him.”
What is the meaning of unjust imprisonment?
“Wrongful detention” is a designation that places the full power of the United States government behind securing a prisoner’s release.
According to the US State Department, once it is determined that someone is wrongfully detained, offices “across the State Department and other US government agencies will work collaboratively with colleagues inside and outside of government to develop a strategy to secure their release.”
It is very rare to obtain this decision, as most arrests or detention of Americans abroad “arise from law enforcement and lawful judicial processes,” according to the government.
Malvin Vogel filed a lawsuit against the government last June in an attempt to repatriate her son from Russia, but the lawsuit was rejected on Thursday.
What will happen next for Mark Vogel?
Once the Secretary of State designates someone as wrongfully detained, the U.S. government is required by law to work for their release, and can impose sanctions on the country detaining them.
It also means moving the case to a division known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA, which focuses on negotiating the release of detainees and hostages around the world.
But there is no clear timeline on how long it takes for someone to be released.
What lawmakers are saying about Mark Vogel
Senator Casey said the government’s designation is an “important step” but the United States must “finish the job and bring Mark home.”
US Representative Chris DiLuzio said that “the fight to free him from his wrongful detention in Russia is not over,” while US Representative Mike Kelly said the designation was “long overdue” before adding that he would work until Mark Fogel is released and reunited with his family. .
Reporting was contributed by KD Fabián and Caitlin Yilek.
