detained since May for terrorism, the American journalist Danny Fenster was pardoned

He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for terrorism and sedition and faced life in prison. American journalist Danny Fenster, detained in Burma since May by the ruling junta, has been pardoned and will be expelled from the country shortly, a spokesman for the Burmese regime said on Monday (November 15th).

“We are relieved that Danny is finally out of prison – somewhere he never should have been in the first place,” said Frontier 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.” 2/5

– Myanmar Frontier (@FrontierMM) November 15, 2021

“But we also recognize Danny is one of many journalists in Myanmar who have been unjustly arrested simply for doing their job since the February coup. We call on the military regime to release all of the journalists who remain behind bars in Myanmar. ” 3/5

– Myanmar Frontier (@FrontierMM) November 15, 2021

Settled in Burma to cover the country’s transition to democratic rule with Aung San Suu Kyi at its helm in the 2010s, Danny Fenster worked for the magazine Myanmar border. He was arrested three months after the military coup attempt to leave the country. The 37-year-old was sentenced to eleven years in prison last week.

Danny Fenster was pardoned “for humanitarian reasons” after negotiations with former American diplomat Bill Richardson and two Japanese emissaries, the junta’s communication service said in a statement. Bill Richardson’s office previously discussed “face to face negotiations” with the head of the junta, Min Aung Hlaing.

Burma has sunk into chaos since the February 1 putsch, which ended a ten-year democratic parenthesis. Since this coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi and launched a crackdown that left more than 1,200 people dead, Burma is, after China, the country in the world that has put the most journalists in prison.