Editorial: Navalny’s death in Russian prison underscores danger for Fogel
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Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison Friday.
He was 47, several years in to a 19-year prison sentence. On paper, his crime was “extremism.” In reality, his offense was opposition to Russian president and former KGB intelligence officer Vladimir Putin.
The information about exactly how the death occurred is still pending, but President Biden didn’t waver about who was at fault.
“Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” he said.
Yes. He is. Putin jailed an opponent for having the audacity to stand up instead of knuckle under. Navalny is only the latest in a long line of Putin enemies or inconveniences to meet a timely end.
In 2023, it was Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, after an attempted mutiny. There was Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, poisoned with radioactive polonium. Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was a Chechen and a Georgian military officer working against Russian spies. He was murdered in 2019 in Berlin by Vadim Krasikov; Germany calls it a contract killing for the Russian government.
Those aren’t the only deaths attributed to Putin’s pride and ambition. There are even more attempts believed to be connected to him, including a 2020 poisoning of Navalny with a Soviet nerve toxin.
That makes bringing American prisoners home from Russian prisons important. It was done in December 2022 with WNBA star Brittney Griner. It is frequently discussed regarding Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, both accused of espionage and deemed by the U.S. State Department as wrongfully detained.
It is not done with Marc Fogel, 63, an Oakmont man who taught at the Anglo-American School in Moscow. He was arrested in 2021 in the Moscow airport for possession of medical marijuana — legal in Pennsylvania and used for debilitating back pain. He was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony.
“The tragic death of Alexei Navalny makes it clear exactly how dangerous it is to be imprisoned in Russia, and that definitely puts new urgency into our effort to bring home my Oakmont constituent Marc Fogel. His chronic health conditions only raise the stakes. We cannot sit by while Putin’s Russia plays political games with the lives of Americans like Marc. I will never stop fighting to bring him home,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall.
Putin’s cold, vindictive capriciousness is a reason to liberate all three men. Their relative safety today is no guarantee of tomorrow.
More than that, it is long past time for the State Department to designate Fogel as wrongfully detained. With Navalny’s death, it is, in fact, imperative.
Biden’s own words in his address about Navalny speak to why — although he was talking about Congress’ responsibilities to move on funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of this moment,” Biden said. “History is watching. …The clock is ticking. We have to help now.”
Well said, Mr. President. Now take your own advice.