Editorial: Marc Fogel is becoming the forgotten prisoner among Biden administration officials

On Wednesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, visited Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine convicted of espionage in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since 2018, showed “tremendous courage” and reiterated the often underscored statement that he is wrongfully detained.

On Friday, the ambassador met with Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in March, also accused of espionage.

Also Friday, another meeting did not occur. President Joe Biden did not meet with Elizabeth Whelan, who traveled to Washington hoping to discuss efforts to free her brother. Instead, she spoke to NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell.

“My concern is — there’s a lot of commitment and passion, but we’re not there yet. That takes presidential involvement. That’s what I want to talk about,” she said.

The possibility of prisoner exchanges with Russia has ramped up again, with conversations about who would be on the table. Vadim Krasikov, a notorious hit man for Vladimir Putin, has been mentioned as a Russian demand.

But who has not been mentioned? Marc Fogel, who just passed the two-year point since his arrest in 2021 for possession of 17 grams of medical marijuana — just like WNBA star Britney Griner, who was released in December.

Fogel, a teacher from Oakmont, remains the silent and seemingly forgotten, if not outright ignored, U.S. prisoner in Russian hands. While Gershkovich and Whelan are frequently brought up in these conversations, Fogel is seldom mentioned. He has not even been labeled wrongfully detained like the other men.

On Tuesday, the Tribune-Review asked the State Department a number of questions about Fogel. Where is he right now? What is his condition? When was he last visited by a State Department official? When was the Russian government last asked about release? Why has he yet to be designated wrongfully detained? Is he being included in prisoner exchange discussions?

The department responded with five rote bullet points. “We continuously review …” “We continue to press …” “We take seriously …” “We urge …” “We have no further comment.”

Fogel’s case deserves the same spotlight and attention as the better-known names in the negotiations, yet even basic responses about the case are becoming more boilerplate form letter than actual answers. It does not give confidence in his eventual return.

Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2022, just two fewer years than Whelan was given for the high crime of espionage. That is inappropriate. It seems all the more inflated in the context that the Anglo-American School of Moscow, where Fogel taught diplomats’ children, has since been closed by the Russian government and labeled a “foreign agent.” Miller protested that in a statement July 5.

The State Department must take action to openly identify Fogel as a wrongful detainee and prioritize bringing him home.