Local group travels to D.C. to rally for Fogel’s release
Relatives, friends and strangers gathered early Saturday, July 15, for a bus trip to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness over the detainment of Butler native Marc Fogel in a Russian prison.
The group of 20 took a five-and-a-half hour bus ride to Lafayette Square in front of the White House, hoping their rally will compel lawmakers to prioritize Fogel’s release.
Fogel, 62, had been living and working as a teacher in Russia since 2012. He was detained on a return trip in August 2021 for carrying about one-half ounce of medical marijuana, which was prescribed for chronic pain.
He was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 14 years of hard labor, and his family has fought for his release since.
According to trip organizer Deb Zarnick, Saturday’s rally attracted more than 100 participants with more than 80 signing a petition seeking Fogel’s release. She said some passersby who were visiting the nation’s capital stopped what they were doing to join the rally.
Zarnick plans to scan the petition’s signature list and send it, along with a letter, to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During the Saturday rally, Marc’s sisters, Anne Fogel and Lisa Hyland, addressed the crowd by megaphone.
“This group of family, friends, teachers and students are not going to give up until they declare him wrongfully detained,” Zarnick said. “This is not going to go away.”
Malphine Fogel, Marc’s 94-year-old mother, pulled into the parking lot of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church as the sun rose over downtown Butler on Saturday. A picture of son’s face was on her T-shirt.
She matched most of the crowd at the bus stop, who also wore shirts covered in artful depictions of Marc.
“It’s truly surprising to me,” she said, looking over the group that came to support Marc. “(He) hasn’t been around for a long time.”
The goal of the day, according to Malphine, is to encourage lawmakers to take notice of the rally and work to have Marc designated “wrongfully detained.”
Marc’s case has drawn comparisons to the high-profile case of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was similarly detained in Russia in February 2022 after she was found in possession of a small amount of hash oil. It took three months for the State Department to determine that Griner was wrongfully detained.
U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th, and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, have met with the Fogel family about what they can do to expedite Marc’s release. According to them, Marc meets six of 11 established criteria for the designation.
“Reschenthaler and Kelly are very supportive,” Malphine said.
Vicki Clouse, one of Marc’s cousins, said he was “always laughing, always smiling.”
“I think (it’s) an amazing tribute to what a great guy he was,” she said of the turnout for the rally.
“We just had a family reunion, and he wasn’t there,” she said. “It’s just emotional for Malphine to know you might not see your son again. There’s a lot of family praying for him.”
Jill Solomon, of Lower Burrell, said she doesn’t know the Fogels, but she wanted to attend the rally as a fellow teacher.
“I’m here because I saw him on the news, and I was just so taken aback. I teach in Oakmont, where he lives,” she said. “I was just pain-stricken for him.”
“I think it’s just an unjust imprisonment; it really amounts to a death sentence for him,” said Becky Richardson, of Butler. She and her husband, Ryan, attended the rally in support of the Fogels, who are family friends.
“There are people coming from all over the country, not just Butler,” she said of the rally. “I hope (people) see how this effects so many lives.”
John Grenci, of Renfrew, said his family went to church with the Fogels.
“They’re very good people,” he said. “We wanted to do something; it seems so unfair. The more people get involved, the more we can make a difference.”
The Fogel family has been communicating with lawmakers since Marc’s detainment, working toward his receiving the “wrongfully detained” designation.
Most recently, Reschenthaler introduced legislation known informally as the Marc Fogel Act. If passed, the act would require more transparency from the U.S. State Department to Congress regarding how it determines who has been wrongfully detained in a foreign country.
In February, Kelly and nine other members of Congress sent a letter to Blinken on behalf of Fogel asking that he be classified as “wrongfully detained.”
In November 2022, Kelly and Reschenthaler signed a resolution of inquiry asking President Joe Biden and the State Department to turn over all documents relating to its review of Marc’s case for “wrongful detainment” status, including collected phone records, audio recordings and documents.
“I think (Reschenthaler and Kelly) are genuinely interested in getting (Marc) home,” Malphine said. “I hope the politicians who can make a difference will take notice.”
Malphine boarded the bus with the group, who set a course for D.C. for the three-hour demonstration in Lafayette Park. They returned to Butler late Saturday.
She added that the Fogel family does a lot of praying for her son.
“It is all anybody thinks about,” she said.
If she could say anything to her son, Malphine said she would commend the group going to the rally.
“I’d tell him he’d be proud of the friends who are supporting him, because he would be,” she said.
