Eleven year sentence lifted: US journalist pardoned in Myanmar

11 year sentence waived
US journalist pardoned in Myanmar

Last week a US journalist was sentenced to 11 years in prison in Myanmar. Now the 37-year-old has received a pardon and is allowed to leave the country. Numerous people have been arrested and killed in Myanmar since the military coup in February.

US journalist Danny Fenster, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in Myanmar, has been surprisingly released and left the country. The 37-year-old was pardoned on “humanitarian grounds”, said Myanmar’s military junta. Detained six months ago, he was released from the infamous Insein Torture Prison in Yangon and taken to the capital, Naypyidaw, from where he flew out of the country.

Last week, Fenster had been sentenced to 11 years in prison for alleged illegal connections, incitement to the military and violating visa regulations. The employee of the local magazine “Frontier Myanmar” was arrested in May while trying to fly to his parents. As of Tuesday, he should have been brought to trial for riot and “terrorism”. If convicted, he would face life imprisonment.

The journalist has now been released and deported after 176 days in detention. The release came after negotiations with former US diplomat Bill Richardson, who acted as mediator, and two Japanese negotiators, the junta said. “This is the day you hope will come if you do this job,” said Richardson, who has brokered hostage-taking in the past.

Richardson’s organization posted a photo on Twitter showing the former New Mexico state governor and window on the Naypyidaw airfield in front of a small plane. According to the information, windows should fly back to the US via Qatar. According to this, Richardson had negotiated personally with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Window’s family reacted with relief to the release. “We are over the moon that Danny has been released and is on his way home,” said the family. “We can’t wait to take him in our arms.” The family thanked everyone who campaigned for Window’s release, “especially Ambassador Richardson.”

Numerous journalists are still in custody

The US government was also relieved. “We welcome the release of the US journalist Daniel Fenster from a prison in Burma, where he was illegally detained for almost six months,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, using the country name previously common for Myanmar. “We are pleased that Danny will soon be reunited with his family and we continue to call for the release of others who are unjustly imprisoned in Burma.”

The military in Myanmar overthrew the de facto Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The 76-year-old is under house arrest and also has to answer for various alleged offenses in court. The junta suppresses all resistance with brutal violence. Around 1260 people have already been killed, according to estimates by the prisoners’ aid organization AAPP. More than 10,000 others were arrested, including many journalists. Many prisoners were released in October as part of an amnesty. According to the organization Reporting Asean, at least 30 journalists are still in custody.

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