Arrested US Journalist Danny Fenster Released From Myanmar Jail, Deported: Report

Danny Fenster was arrested in May while trying to leave Myanmar, in the aftermath of the Feb 1 coup. He faced charges of incitement against the military, breaches of immigration and terrorism laws

File image of US journalist Danny Fenster | Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Three days after he was sentenced to 11 years in jail in Myanmar, US journalist Danny Fenster was released on Monday and deported.

He was to go on trial Tuesday. Fenster faced charges of terrorism and sedition, the punishment for which in Myanmar is a life term.

The 37-year-old managing editor of online magazine Frontier Myanmar was jailed in Yangon last week on charges of incitement against the military, breaches of the country’s immigration and terrorism laws, and unlawful association, according to reports.

Sonny Swe, the publisher of Frontier Myanmar, first announced the news of his release on Twitter. 

"Great news. I heard @DannyFenster is out," Swe posted, without giving further details.

Great news. I heard @DannyFenster is out.

— swe_sonny (@swe_sonny) November 15, 2021

A junta spokesman also confirmed his release, and said that Fester would be deported soon, news agency AFP reported.

“We can confirm that he has been released and will be deported. Detail will be released later," spokesman Zaw Min Tun was quoted as saying.

Quoting another government source, the report said Fenster was taken to Myanmar capital Naypyidaw from Yangon for deportation.

According to another AFP report, the journalist's release was secured after "face-to-face negotiations" between former top US diplomat Bill Richardson and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Quoting a statement issued by Richardson's organisation, the report said Fenster would fly back to the US "through Qatar, over the next day and a half".

His family also issued a statement, expressng their relief at his release, the report said.

"...we cannot wait to hold him in our arms," the family said in the statement.

Speaking to AFP, International Crisis Group's Myanmar senior advisor Richard Horsey said: "Fenster had done nothing wrong and should never have been put through this hell."

He added that many Myanmar journalists have also been "unjustly detained", and that they must also be released.

Fenster was arrested in May while trying to leave Myanmar, which saw a military coup on February 1 against the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered nationwide protests and the country has been in chaos since.

While the Myanmar military has arrested many journalists and detained thousands of others, Fenster was the first Western journalist sent to jail in recent years.

After 176 days in detention, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison last week.