AMERICAN schoolteacher Marc Fogel has been released from a Russian prison after being hit with trumped up charges.
Fogel, 63, was arrested at an airport in 2021 for the illegal possession of a small amount of medical cannabis and slapped with a 14-year sentence.
Demonstrators call for the release of Fogel back in 2023[/caption]
Fogel was detained for a small amount of medical cannabis and handed a 14-year prison sentence[/caption]
Fogel was freed from captivity after a meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoy in Moscow.
The US and Russia agreed for the history teacher’s release as part of an exchange with Russia.
The move was announced by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff who said they were heading back to the US with Fogel.
He is yet to confirm what Russia gained in return.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz later announced in a statement: “Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia.
“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the president’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
Fogel was officially designated as “wrongfully detained” by the US late last year.
