Sister of American not part of Russian prisoner swap: 'We don't have the celebrity status'

One American not released in the prisoner swap with Russia is teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony in 2022. He was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport for carrying medically prescribed marijuana. Geoff Bennett discussed Fogel’s detention with his sister, Anne Fogel.

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Geoff Bennett: Well, thank you both.

And, Nick, as you mentioned, one of the Americans not released today is teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony back in 2022. He was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport for carrying medically prescribed marijuana.

Earlier this evening, before I spoke with the deputy national security adviser, Marc Fogel’s sister, Anne, joined us from her Montana home.

Anne Fogel, thank you for being with us.

Anne Fogel, Sister of Marc Fogel: Thank you for having me. It’s really important that I tell Marc’s story.

Geoff Bennett: While some families are rejoicing today as they have been reunited with their loved ones, your family still has to wait. How are you doing? How are you holding up?

Anne Fogel: It’s been a heart-wrenching 36 hours. I spoke with Marc yesterday morning on the phone. And he — when I realized that he was still in Rybinsk and everyone else had been pulled out of their penal colonies, it was — my heart really sank.

But it’s really hard to give up hope. And for the entire day, I roller-coastered, around thinking that Rybinsk is about four-and-a-half-hours from Moscow. And I thought that maybe they would be driving him down or I — it was just really hard to let it go.

Geoff Bennett: When you spoke with him, what did he say? What did he tell you? How is he doing?

Anne Fogel: He was kind of in the dark. He knew that something was going on. And then he saw a little bit of news about Paul.

They’re constantly playing the television and news stations in the penal colony that he’s in. And so he knew something was going on, but he doesn’t speak Russian. So he wasn’t exactly sure. And he called. And I didn’t want to — I know this is crushing him.

So I didn’t want to tell him what I knew. But we — at that point in time, we were calling our senators and calling the ambassadors that we have been in touch with. And we were trying to get something activated for him. And so it was a crazy day of phones and messaging and e-mailing.

And it’s all for naught.

Geoff Bennett: The national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said today that the administration is working to secure your brother’s release from Russia.

Have you heard anything from the administration?

Anne Fogel: No, we have never heard from the administration. I did talk to — my sister-in-law and I did talk to Jake Sullivan about two years ago.

But Marc has never been prioritized. He had — he was convicted under the same code as Brittney Griner, but he was never designated as wrongfully detained. And we don’t have the NBA behind us and we don’t have The Wall Street Journal behind us, so it’s been very difficult for us to get our man out.

Geoff Bennett: Your mother, your 95-year-old mother, filed a lawsuit in June against the U.S. State Department over its failure to declare Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained.

Why do you think he hasn’t received that designation and how has it complicated efforts, in your view, to secure his release?

Anne Fogel: I don’t think he’s been designated because I don’t think he’s important enough. As I said, we just don’t have the notoriety, the celebrity status.

And, believe me, the worst part of this process is being pitted against other Americans. I don’t want that. No one wants that. Marc doesn’t want that.

Geoff Bennett: When we started our conversation, you said you wanted to get your brother’s story out. What do you want folks to know about your brother Marc?

Anne Fogel: I want you to know that Marc has had an outsized impact on the world, essentially, because he has taught internationally for so many years.

He has thousands of students that he has taught, and he is — there’s not a hall of fame for teaching, but he is the best of the best. And you have one of his students in your newsroom, as we speak. He has students all over the world writing to him, praying for him, making movies about him. We need justice. He needs to come home. He needs to be with his family.

His life and sons need him. And this is absolutely unfair that they did not bring him home with the greatest historic prisoner swap since the World War. I wish I could be more steady perhaps in saying these things, but I feel very wronged for Marc.

And he needs to come home, and the Biden administration has nothing to lose. They should have brought him home.

Geoff Bennett: Anne Fogel, our thoughts are with you, your family and your brother Marc. Thanks again for your time this evening. We appreciate it.

Anne Fogel: Thank you for having me.