[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 5, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               MARC FOGEL

  Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I rise this afternoon to highlight the 
continued imprisonment of Marc Fogel. Marc Fogel is a teacher whose 
career I will describe in a moment, but he is from Oakmont, PA, 
Allegheny County, in the southwestern corner of our State, just near 
Pittsburgh.
  He has been imprisoned by Russia, and I urge my colleagues in the 
administration to continue to prioritize his release.
  On August 14, 2021, Marc Fogel was arrested by Russian authorities 
upon his return to Russia to teach one last year at the Anglo-American 
School of Moscow, after 35 years of teaching history to the children of 
American diplomats at international schools across the globe and 
teaching at the same school in Russia since 2012.
  Yes, Marc had medically prescribed marijuana in his luggage to help 
him through the year in dealing with his chronic pain. That pain came 
from a hip replacement. It came from multiple back surgeries, multiple 
knee surgeries, and a spinal fusion, which have left Marc with a 
permanent limp.
  Marc broke Russian law by bringing marijuana into the country. Marc's 
worsening medical conditions and actions to bring in less than an ounce 
of marijuana into Russia should not require him to serve the full 14-
year sentence at a Russian penal colony--14 years of imprisonment for 
less than an ounce of marijuana.
  It has been 1,026 days since Marc's initial arrest, over 33 months 
ago. At Marc's age--he will turn 63 this July--and in his poor health--
terribly poor health--continuing to serve another 11 years, or 130 
months, in any prison will indeed be a death sentence.
  Based on a review of Marc's records from the prison hospital, Marc's 
treating physician has expressed grave concerns over Marc's declining 
health. His spinal cord and knee injuries and a prosthetic hip have 
combined with neuropathy, a loss of feeling, in one of his feet to make 
the risk of a more severe injury a lot more likely.
  Marc has already fallen multiple times. Every fall--every fall--
heightens the risk of a broken hip or other severe injury that Marc 
will struggle to recover from in prison. The 33 months have taken a 
toll on Marc Fogel's mental and emotional health. Where many other 
younger individuals in Russian penal colonies can have great hope for 
decades of life after their full sentences, Marc Fogel will be almost 
75 years old by the end of his current 14-year prison sentence.

  I am hopeful that Russia, seeing the time that Marc has already 
served and fully aware of his terribly declining health, will release 
Marc from prison on humanitarian grounds so that he may return to his 
family in Pennsylvania.
  Marc's support from his family has given him strength over the last 
few years, but the phone service they rely on to contact him is 
unpredictable and goes down for weeks at a time.
  My thoughts and prayers--and I know that is true of so many others 
who have advocated on Marc's behalf--our thoughts and prayers remain 
with Marc and his family, but we must also act, act to bring him home. 
That is why I introduced a resolution with my colleague Senator Daines 
calling for Marc's release and urging the Biden administration to 
prioritize Marc's case in all--all--of its interactions with the 
Russian Government.
  I am proud that the resolution passed the Senate just last night. I 
am proud because this resolution shows the world--but more importantly 
Marc and his family--that while the news cycle may have forgotten Marc, 
the U.S. Government has not. This resolution's passage is also evidence 
that bringing Marc home is and will continue to be prioritized at the 
highest levels of our government; that the U.S. Government is 
continuing to explore all possible avenues to bring Marc home.
  I want Marc and his family to know that we are working to bring him 
home; that we will continue our efforts until Marc Fogel is back having 
dinner with his family at his mother's home in Butler, PA, just north 
of where Marc lives.

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