The family of an American professor trapped in a hellish Russian labor camp say they feel “stabbed in the back” by Biden officials who failed to negotiate his release as part of a historic prisoner swap.
Marc Fogel, 61, was not among the 16 Western hostages, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who were freed Thursday.
In 2021, Fogel was jailed for 14 years in Russia after being caught with medical marijuana in his suitcase.
His sister Ann told CNN it was “heartbreaking” that her brother was not part of the exchange that took place this week.
“We were really hoping that they would be able to get Mark on the plane,” she said. “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, we haven’t been able to sleep. I feel like we’ve been stabbed in the back.”
The family of Mark Fogel, who is trapped in a hellish Russian labor camp, say they feel “stabbed in the back” by Biden officials who failed to negotiate his release as part of a historic prisoner swap.
Ann Fogel said it was “heartbreaking” to realize her brother was not among the 24 prisoners released Thursday.
She also criticized the Biden administration for failing to designate her brother as “wrongfully detained,” a crucial step in negotiations for his release.
The label was given to people like Gershkovich and WNBA star Brittney Griner, who, like Fogel, was also arrested for marijuana possession.
“After multiple documents signed by Mark and our family, we are not given any adequate answer as to why he has not been designated as Brittney was, their cases are almost identical,” Ann explained.
‘A classified report was issued in June and they weren’t even clear on the facts of the case. Mark should have been prioritized throughout this process. It’s been one of the most frustrating times of my life not to have been heard or taken seriously.
“We don’t have the support of the NBA or the Wall Street Journal, so Mark has been virtually ignored.”
He also revealed that Fogel has spent the past month in a prison hospital, where he is receiving “multitudes” of injections without any explanation as to their purpose.
“He needs the designation because he needs medical treatment,” Ann added through tears.
Fogel, pictured with his wife and children, was jailed for 14 years in Russia after being caught with medical marijuana in his suitcase.
Marc Fogel, smiling, pictured holding his match ticket outside the Luzhniki stadium before a World Cup match in 2018
“He has fallen several times because there is a lot of ice. Things are not going well for him.”
She shared that Fogel’s 95-year-old mother is now worried she will never see her son again.
Fogel had 17 grams of prescription marijuana hidden in a contact lens case to treat pain after a knee replacement and other injuries when he was arrested in August 2021.
But the drug is completely banned in Russia.
He was arrested on his way to work at the $34,000-a-year Anglo-American School in Moscow, in exactly the same area of Sheremetyevo International Airport where Griner was arrested for a similar offence five months later.
In June 2022, Fogel received a shock 14-year sentence from a Russian judge, who accused him of trying to bring marijuana into the country to sell to his students.
Fogel was accused of using his diplomatic status as a former member of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to potentially run a “drug smuggling route” into the Russian capital.
Fogel’s family has questioned why he has not been granted “wrongfully detained” status that would aid release negotiations.
The designation was given to WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was also arrested for marijuana possession before her release was negotiated.
Vice President Harris greets wrongfully imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Thursday
Ann spoke after it emerged that the Biden administration had negotiated the largest prisoner exchange with Russia since the end of the Cold War.
The agreement involved the release of 24 prisoners in seven countries in total.
In addition to Gershkovich and Whelan, the Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced to more than six years in a Russian prison in a fast-track and secret trial late last month, has been released.
The trio met with the president and vice president after returning to the United States last night before reuniting with their families.