Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement on the multi-country prisoner swap that released Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, but did not include Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel:
“This prisoner swap is good news for Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and their families, but Marc Fogel is still sitting in a Russian prison. Marc Fogel is a teacher from Pittsburgh with chronic health issues whose health has declined significantly during his imprisonment. 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.
“For years, I have been working alongside Marc’s family to push the Administration to bring Marc home. Negotiating with a foreign adversary is no easy task, but as the Administration has worked to bring home high-profile Americans like Brittney Griner, Evan Gershkovich, and Paul Whelan—we have only asked that they also prioritize Marc’s release. While Marc’s name may not be in the news every day, he is no less deserving of a reunion with his family. This is a difficult day for Marc and his family. I have not forgotten about Marc, and I will never give up on bringing him home. I urge everyone who fought to bring Evan and Paul home to now work to do the same for Marc.”
Senator Casey has been pushing the Biden Administration to prioritize Marc Fogel’s case since he was detained in Russia in August 2021. In July 2023, Casey introduced a bipartisan concurrent resolution calling for the immediate release of Marc Fogel. It passed the Senate unanimously in June 2024. Casey spoke on the Senate floor that day to applaud the resolution and call for the administration to bring Mr. Fogel home. Additionally, Senator Casey has helped the Fogel family set up meetings with other Congressional offices and administration officials to help bring attention to Mr. Fogel’s case and garner support to bring him home. For years, he has called on the State Department to do everything possible to secure his release. In August 2022, he sent a letter to Secretary Blinken urging the State Department to designate Mr. Fogel as “wrongfully detained,” one mechanism to give the case a higher level of support from U.S. officials. Senator Casey followed up in October of that year urging immediate action by the State Department.
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