US welcomes release of American journalist in Myanmar

WASHINGTON

The US welcomed on Monday the release of American journalist Danny Fenster after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a military court in Myanmar.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded Fenster's release after he endured six months of being "wrongfully detained."

"We are glad that Danny will soon be reunited with his family as we continue to call for the release of others who remain unjustly imprisoned in Burma," the top diplomat said in a statement.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar had on Nov. 12 sentenced the 37-year-old journalist for incitement and violating unlawful association and immigration laws.

Fenster was arrested at Yangon International Airport on May 24 while trying to leave for the US, with the Myanmar military accusing him of working for Myanmar Now, another news outlet headquartered in Yangon.

But the magazine he worked for, Frontier Myanmar, maintained that Fenster resigned from Myanmar Now in July 2020, and joined them the following month.

His trial was held at Yangon’s Insein Prison and was closed to the public, according to Frontier Myanmar, which had described the verdict as “the harshest possible under the law.”

“We are relieved that Danny is finally out of prison – somewhere he never should have been in the first place,” said Frontier Myanmar's Editor-in-Chief Thomas Kean. “The Frontier team would like to thank all who worked to secure Danny’s release over the past five-and-a-half months.”

WASHINGTON

The US welcomed on Monday the release of American journalist Danny Fenster after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a military court in Myanmar.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded Fenster's release after he endured six months of being "wrongfully detained."

"We are glad that Danny will soon be reunited with his family as we continue to call for the release of others who remain unjustly imprisoned in Burma," the top diplomat said in a statement.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar had on Nov. 12 sentenced the 37-year-old journalist for incitement and violating unlawful association and immigration laws.

But the magazine he worked for, Frontier Myanmar, maintained that Fenster resigned from Myanmar Now in July 2020, and joined them the following month.

His trial was held at Yangon’s Insein Prison and was closed to the public, according to Frontier Myanmar, which had described the verdict as “the harshest possible under the law.”