American jailed in Russia after being caught with medical marijuana knocks on Biden for working on the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, but not him Griner #Paul #Whelan Welcome to OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
A US private school teacher sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia after being caught with medical marijuana says he feels “hurt” after President Joe Biden’s attempts to free basketball players Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan – but not him.
Marc Fogel hid 17 grams of prescription marijuana in a contact lens container to treat pain after a knee replacement and other injuries.
But marijuana is totally banned in Russia and carries heavy fines.
Marc Fogel, 61, wrote a furious letter to his hometown of Pittsburgh from his penal colony in Russia in which he wrote:
“Teachers are at least as important as Bballers.”
Fogel spoke as his wife Jane and his two nieces tried to pressure Biden into demanding his release from Russian custody after he was arrested in August 2021 and convicted in January 2022.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that it was working on a possible prisoner swap to release Griner and American Paul Whelan, who was accused of being a spy in Russia and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Whelan complained that he was not treated in the same way as Griner, and President Biden eventually called his sister after she went to the TV to talk about it.
“I have a tight feeling in my stomach that Marc will be left behind,” Fogel’s wife Jane told the Washington Post on Wednesday, July 27.
Fogel’s cousin Ellen Keelan told CBS Pittsburgh, “I want people to understand that this is a death sentence for my uncle. He is 61, he has all these health problems and we are talking about a maximum security prison in Russia. We are distraught, we are beside ourselves. We didn’t see this coming. The only explanation is that this is political.’
Fogel knew it was illegal, but believed he could get away with smuggling only to find he was apprehended and jailed.
He was arrested after traveling to work at Moscow’s $34,000-a-year Anglo-American School, in the very same part of Sheremetyevo International Airport where Brittney Griner was set aside five months later for a similar crime.
According to his wife, Fogel planned to retire at the end of that academic year.
Unlike Whelan and Griner, Fogel is not classified as “improperly detained” by the US.
His family hopes to get that clue, as it would escalate diplomatic efforts to free him.
But they say so far they’ve only been able to talk to intermediate-level diplomats who, while well-meaning, aren’t able to charge the case the way Fogel’s family would like.
“It’s terrifying,” Jane continued. “I hope President Biden and especially First Lady Jill Biden, who is an educator, see the importance of including Marc alongside Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.”
Like Fogel, Griner was arrested after being caught with a cannabis vape. She has admitted her crime while the hearing is underway to decide her sentence.
In June, Fogel was handed a stunning 14-year sentence by a Russian judge who accused him of trying to bring marijuana into the country to sell to his students.
Fogel was accused of using his diplomatic status as a former member of the US embassy in Moscow to potentially lead a “drug smuggling route” into the Russian capital.
Fogel and his wife were protected under diplomatic status until May 2021, Russia’s interior ministry added.
Jane has since returned to Pittsburgh.
The couple have two sons, Sam, 22, and Ethan, 24, who both attended Anglo-American School in Moscow.