Former job is key in case against US journalist in Myanmar

BANGKOK – An American writer detained astir 5 months successful military-ruled Myanmar is being prosecuted for an discourtesy allegedly carried retired by a quality work for which helium had stopped moving much than half-a-year previously, his lawyer said Friday.

Danny Fenster was detained astatine Yangon International Airport connected May 24 arsenic helium was astir to committee a formation to spell to the Detroit country successful the United States to spot his family. He is the managing exertion of Frontier Myanmar, an online quality mag based successful Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city.

Media groups and the U.S. authorities person called for Fenster’s release. He is among astir 100 journalists detained since a Feb. 1 subject takeover ousted the elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than fractional person since been released, but the media stay nether choky restrictions.

Fenster had worked until July past twelvemonth arsenic a newsman and transcript exertion for the online quality tract Myanmar Now, and joined Frontier Myanmar the pursuing month.

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As fashionable absorption to the subject takeover grew, Myanmar Now, on with respective different media outlets, had its licence revoked successful aboriginal March. It was banned from publishing connected immoderate level but has continued to run clandestinely online.

Fenster’s lawyer Than Zaw Aung said the justice astatine Friday’s pre-trial proceeding told his lawsuit that aft Myanmar Now had its licence revoked, it continued to station stories astir the activities of organizations opposed to the subject takeover.

Those groups -- the Civil Disobedience Movement, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the National Unity Government -- were each established aft the service seized power. They person been declared illegal.

Contacting them and publishing their words is punishable by 2 to 3 years’ imprisonment nether the Unlawful Associations Act, which Fenster was formally charged nether earlier this month. The justice said Fenster had been sought successful transportation with Myanmar Now’s activities, unneurotic with its main editor, Ko Swe Win.

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Fenster had already been charged with sedition for allegedly spreading mendacious oregon inflammatory information. That discourtesy is punishable by up to 3 years successful prison.

Details of his lawsuit are scarce, and the hearings astatine the tribunal astatine Insein Prison, wherever Fenster is jailed, are closed to the property and the public.

Military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said past period that "Danny Fenster did much than conscionable what a writer does.” He did not elaborate.

“It is disappointing that the prosecution is inactive alleging that Danny was moving for Myanmar Now successful March 2021, erstwhile successful world helium had resigned 7 months earlier to articulation Frontier," Thomas Kean, Frontier Myanmar’s editor-in-chief, said Friday successful a substance message.

"It conscionable underscores again wherefore helium should ne'er person been arrested successful the archetypal place, and wherefore the charges should beryllium dropped instantly truthful helium tin spell location to his family.”

Lawyer Than Zaw Aung said the defence and prosecution some submitted their arguments connected whether bail should beryllium allowed successful the sedition case, with a ruling expected astatine the adjacent tribunal league connected Oct. 27. He said Fenster was successful bully health.

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