Southeast Allegheny News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Deluzio (D, PA-17), joined with U.S. Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R, PA-14), Mike Kelly (R, PA-16), and Brendan Boyle (D, PA-02), to introduce the Marc Fogel Act. This legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to require more transparency from the State Department to Congress on the process of designating wrongful detainment upon American imprisoned overseas.

Marc Fogel is an Oakmont resident who was raised in Western Pennsylvania. An international teacher for much of his adult life, he was detained in Russia in August of 2021 for possession of a small amount of marijuana, prescribed by a doctor for his chronic back pain. He then was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor in a Russian penal colony. This bill introduction follows votes in the House of Representatives this month calling for the immediate release of several Americans who are wrongfully detained in Russia. However, as of now, the United States State Department has not yet designated Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained. Congressman Deluzio has called for this designation.

The Marc Fogel Act would build upon this action and require the State Department to provide Congress with copies of documents and communications on why a wrongful determination has or has not been made in cases of U.S. nationals detained abroad within six months of arrest.

“It is far past time for the U.S. State Department to designate Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained in Russia, and this bill will help bring daylight into the process that the Department uses for cases like his and other Americans imprisoned overseas,” said Rep. Deluzio. “Mr. Fogel and his loved ones in Pennsylvania's 17th District deserve to know that their government hears them and is using every tool available to bring him home safely. We can strengthen that trust by designating detainment status accurately and by bringing more transparency into the process."

“Marc Fogel meets six of the eleven criteria established by the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to be designated as wrongfully detained,” said Rep. Reschenthaler. “Since last year, I have urged the State Department to classify him as wrongfully detained and prioritize securing his release. The Department has failed to do either and refused to explain its inaction – effectively stonewalling my efforts to bring him home. The Marc Fogel Act will provide transparency into the State Department’s wrongful detainment determination process and help ensure that Americans imprisoned overseas are not forgotten.”

“By introducing this legislation, we reaffirm our collective commitment to bring Marc Fogel home,”said Rep. Kelly. “For too long, we have pressed the Biden administration to declare Mr. Fogel as wrongfully detained by the Russian government. This legislation would allow Congress to receive critical information not only about Mr. Fogel and why he has not received this declaration, but also for other Americans who may be imprisoned or held hostage abroad in the future.  No American should be left behind and I pray Mr. Fogel will be reunited with his wonderful family as soon as possible.”

“This is not a time for partisanship. This is a time to come together, as Pennsylvanians and as Americans, to do everything we can to bring home Marc Fogel,” said Rep. Boyle. "I’m hopeful this legislation will lead to Marc being designated as ‘wrongfully detained’ so we can finally get Marc home. Families of detained Americans deserve to have as much information about their loved one’s case as possible. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues from Pennsylvania in Marc Fogel’s name. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Marc and his suffering family.”

Under federal law, Fogel meets at least six of the eleven established criteria to be designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department, but he has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained. At this time, Fogel remains in a Russian penal colony serving his sentence close to two years after his detention by Russian authorities.

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Original source can be found here.