Biden urged not to forget teacher still jailed in Russia

Teachers are at least as important as basketballers': What US teacher jailed in Russia Marc Fogel said when he first heard about Brittney Griner prisoner swap plan - after family begged Joe Biden not to forget about him.

An American teacher who remains jailed in Russia despite the release of Brittney Griner previously complained 'teachers are at least as important' as basketball players.

Marc Fogel, 61, was detained by Moscow after his arrest for possession of marijuana in August last year.

Fogel, formerly a teacher at the $34,000-year-old Anglo-American School in Moscow, previously spoke of his 'hurt' at the ongoing, high-profile work to secure Griner's release while his case remained unresolved.

Fogel's name wasn't mentioned by President Joe Biden as he announced the release of Griner in exchange for an arms dealer dubbed the 'Merchant of Death'.

Biden did talk about the US Government's ongoing work to secure the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Marc Fogel, 61, was detained by Moscow after his arrest for possession of marijuana in August last year. His case wasn't mentioned by Joe Biden as the President announced that basketball player Brittney Griner 

In letters to his family shared with the Washington Post in July, Fogel said of reports of an imminent prisoner swap: 'That hurt. Teachers are at least as important as bballers.'

His wife, Jane Fogel, said at the time: 'There's a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that Marc will be left behind.

'It's terrifying. I would hope that President Biden and especially first lady Jill Biden, who is an educator, realize the importance of including Marc in addition to Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.'

Fogel, 61, has been detained in Russia since his arrest at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in August last year, after officials found around 17g of medical marijuana in a contact lens case in his luggage.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler said: 'Swapping a celebrity basketball player for the Merchant of Death – while excluding a Marine and a history teacher – is patently offensive and exposes the Biden Administration’s deeply rooted disdain for everyday Americans.

'It is clear Whelan and Fogel are afterthoughts to this administration, who care more about celebrity admiration and wokeness than returning all Americans safely to their families.

'I will continue to relentlessly advocate for Pittsburgh native Marc Fogel’s release and for the State Department to classify him as wrongfully detained, something they have failed to do since his detainment in August 2021.'

Commentators on Twitter also urged the White House not to forget about Fogel's case.

Some criticized the president for not mentioning Fogel in the announcement about Griner, while others questioned whether the lack of publicity around his case was a factor.

Fogel's sister, Anne Fogel, told DailyMail.com in October that he had been moved to a secret location and his family no longer knew where he was.

She begged Joe Biden to take a personal interest in her brother's case and has spoke to the State Department about how to get him declared 'wrongfully detained'.

He was in his tenth year as a teacher at the Anglo-American School at the time of his arrest.

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