Toomey, bipartisan colleagues call on State Dept. to fight for Pittsburgh teacher jailed in Russia

[FakeNoose]

Headline: Toomey, Reschenthaler and bipartisan colleagues call on State Department to fight for Pittsburgh-area native jailed in Russia

(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-nation/2022/08/05/toomey-reschenthaler-bipartisan-state-department-anthony-blinken-marc-fogel-pittsburgh-russia-prison-brittney-griner-paul-whelan-prisoner-swap-wrongfully-detained/stories/202208040098

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania’s U.S. lawmakers are urging the State Department to recognize the plight of a Pittsburgh-area resident who has been sentenced to hard labor in Russia, and they are asking why the administration has not highlighted his case among other detained citizens, including WNBA player Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

Marc Fogel, an Oakmont resident and Butler native, was sentenced in June to 14 years in a Russian high security penal colony after having been detained in the country for roughly a year. The long-time international educator was arrested at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow last August for possession of about 20 grams of medical marijuana.

On Tuesday Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Greene, co-led a letter to the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken requesting the nation’s top diplomat to “immediately classify Mr. Fogel as wrongfully detained and ensure he is included in any negotiations to bring home American prisoners in Russia.”

The letter garnered bipartisan support from nine members of Pennsylvania’s U.S. House delegation, including Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon.

- more at link -

[Raven123]

1. All detainees deserve our best efforts to bring them home

I’m not sure how those negotiations work, other than slowly. Could adding another name to current negotiations extend the process?

[FakeNoose]

2. Why aren't Americans being warned about bringing Medical Marijuana into Russia?

Sheesh! How many of these people are going to get caught?

Russia is using these guys as leverage to get some of their prisoners/spies back.

[Raven123]

3. I suspect they know.

Griner claimed she accidentally packed it. If that is true, she knew. If I understand the article correctly, the teacher is no stranger to Russia. I wonder if he knew too. I’m not sure is medical marijuana is legal in Russia or not, or it ever has been.