Bipartisan lawmakers from the House and Senate are urging the Biden Administration to “redouble” their efforts to secure the freedom of an American who is imprisoned by the Russian government for medical marijuana. They say he must be included in future prisoner exchanges.
In a Thursday letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 15 members from the Pennsylvania congressional delegation stated that Marc Fogel was serving a “unconscionable” 14-year sentence in Russia for being convicted of possessing “limited amounts of medical marijuana”, which he had used in Pennsylvania to treat chronic pain.
The letter led by Sens. Bob Casey (D – PA) and John Fetterman, along with Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), says.
They wrote: “Since Mr. Fogel’s arrest, many members of Congress and the Senate on both sides of the aisle urged the State Department, to take further actions, including classifying him as wrongfully imprisoned,” This designation process is stalled, and Mr. Fogel’s health continues to deteriorate. His physical safety remains at risk.
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Rep. Mike Kelly December 21st, 2023
The letter was sent weeks after news reports that Russia had rejected a proposed prisoner exchange deal that involved two Americans: former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Evan Gershkovich who are both detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage. In the letter, lawmakers say that Fogel should be included as well as those two men in any potential agreement.
The letter states: “During this holiday period, we join with our constituents in urging the Biden Administration redouble their efforts to secure Mr. Fogel’s release from Russian detention so that Mr. Fogel can return home to his wife and 94-year old mother, as well as the rest of his extended family.” We respectfully ask that Mr. Fogel is included in any discussions involving other Americans who are wrongly detained in Russia.
The letter has also been signed by Reps. Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio, Dan Meuser, Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle.
They have repeatedly urged the State Department, and specifically Fogel himself, to take Fogel’s situation further. This includes formally identifying him as wrongfully held. The lawmakers have pointed out that Fogel’s situation is similar to that of WNBA star Brittney Griner who was also imprisoned in a Russian jail for possessing cannabis oil, which she had also obtained legally as a medical marijuana user in Arizona . She was released in a prisoner exchange negotiated by the Biden administration.
In July, bipartisan legislators also filed a pair congressional resolutions condemning Russia for imprisoning Fogel simply because he was in possession of medical marijuana.
The resolutions were presented shortly after Fogel’s family visited the White House in order to meet with officials of high level and to also bring attention to Fogel’s case among members of Congress.
Deluzio and Kelly also filed a Bill in June, which would have required the State Department to tell Congress why Fogel as well as any other Americans held abroad were not “wrongfully detained.”
Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT and former U.S. In June, the ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul sent a similar letter to the secretary. He urged the administration to escalate diplomatic efforts “immediately”.
Last year, over two dozen members called on the State Department to step up diplomatic efforts in order to secure Fogel‘s release, calling his imprisonment for marijuana he used as a treatment for chronic pain, “unconscionable”.
Last year, the White House announced that it was actively investigating Fogel’s case. Since then, lawmakers have kept up pressure to ensure they are doing everything possible to secure his freedom.
When asked by reporters about the administration’s efforts to secure the release other Americans, like Fogel, who are in prison abroad, Karine Jean-Pierre referred them to the State Department. She said that “every situation is different” but did not want to jump ahead of ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Casey also led a similar letter with other Senators last year which asked the State Department for the classification of the citizen, a teacher from the United States, as being “wrongfully held.” This came after other bipartisan Pennsylvania members of the congressional delegation again pleaded to the State Department for the escalation in Fogel’s Case by drawing parallels between Griner’s marijuana-related convictions and his.
According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, last year officials considered 11 criteria in determining if a case amounted to a wrongful arrest. If the U.S. believes that due process has been compromised, the arrest was made solely for the reason that the person is a U.S. citizen, or the individual is innocent of the charges stated, then a wrongful designation would be warranted.
Russia has, on its part, taken a particularly firm stance in opposition to reforming cannabis policies at an international level via the United Nations. It also condemned Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana across the country.
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Photo by Brian Shamblen.
The article 15 Bipartisan lawmakers tell Biden administration to include Americans jailed in Russia for medical marijuana in any prisoner swap first appeared on Marijuana moment.
