Hostage Diplomacy event brings more awareness to local teacher’s incarceration
PITTSBURGH — The continuing incarceration of Butler native Marc Fogel was front and center during a hostage diplomacy event Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Frick Fine Arts Building.
Fogel, 63, was arrested in August 2021 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia for attempting to bring medical marijuana into the country as he was returning for his last year of teaching before retirement. He was sentenced to the maximum 14 years allowed.
Planning for the event, organized by the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the University of Pittsburgh and Dentons Cohen & Grigsby law firm, began when Fogel was once again passed over in a prisoner swap.
Fogel family lawyer Sasha Phillips was heavily involved in the planning of the event.
“We wanted to create a balance between passionate advocacy provided by the arts and well-reasoned and thought-out opinion provided by the experts in the field of law and diplomacy,” Phillips said.
The five-hour event began at 1 p.m. with an art show, opened with remarks by artist Tom Mosser, who, along with Phillips, organized the 2023 event Make a Marc, using art to raise awareness in Fogel’s case.
Artist Dennis Keyes participated in that event and displayed his art during the art show Saturday.
“Art is an expression of the artist’s emotions,” Keyes said. “I can and should arouse emotions in the viewer. My work hopefully engenders empathy for Marc and other political prisoners and kindles a desire to do something to help.”
Keyes feels strongly about Fogel’s imprisonment and the reasons behind it.
“Marc’s incarceration, plain and simple, is just another barbaric ploy by Russia to use hostages to trade for convicted criminals,” Keyes said. “Marc was set up. We still don’t know what Russia expects to get for him.”
“Marc Fogel needs to come home,” Phillips said. “He is very ill.”
Fogel’s illness, chronic back pain, and the reason he was prescribed the medical marijuana, was detailed in the short documentary “Did You Forget Mr. Fogel?,” introduced by the documentary’s director, Max Karpman. The film was screened at the event.
The documentary features interviews with Fogel’s family, including his two sisters, Anne and Lisa; his mother, Malphine; and niece and nephew Celeste and Cy. It shows the family’s pain and worry firsthand, citing Fogel’s health and the conditions in which he is being kept. Phillips also was featured in the documentary.
The event was rounded out with a panel discussion on political prisoners and Fogel’s case. On the panel was Zsuzsanna Margo, professor Nancy Condee, professor Michael Kenney, and ambassador Eric Rubin.
Part of the discussion was the Department of State’s refusal to declare Fogel ‘wrongfully detained,’ while American basketball player Brittney Griner — who was sentenced to nine years for marijuana possession — was described by the state department as unjust.
“Marc Fogel satisfies (the) majority of the Levinson Act criteria for being designated as wrongfully detained, and the government’s delay and inaction are simply inexcusable,” Phillips said.
Keyes agreed and asked the public to get involved.
“Talk about Marc. Say his name. Write to your elected representatives and appointed negotiators,” Keyes said.
“Marc Fogel needs to come home. He is very ill and, as Max Karpman’s documentary vividly illustrated, his time is running out,” Phillips said.
More information on how to get involved can be found at the Facebook page Freedom for Marc Fogel.
