Washington, D.C., November 10, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned over news reports that Myanmar prosecutors have lodged additional criminal charges against journalist Danny Fenster.
Fenster has been detained since his arrest on May 24 at the Yangon airport as he was leaving the country, as CPJ documented at the time. Prosecutors initially charged him with incitement, violating the country’s immigration laws, and unlawful association; today, as the trial on those charges concluded, authorities also charged him with terrorism and sedition.
“It’s disheartening, to say the least, that Myanmar prosecutors have filed further unwarranted criminal charges against journalist Danny Fenster,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “We urge authorities in Myanmar to immediately and unconditionally release Fenster and allow him to leave the country.”
Fenster, a U.S. citizen, is managing editor of the online magazine Frontier Myanmar. If convicted under the Counter-Terrorism Act, he could face 10 years to life in prison; if convicted of sedition under Section 124(A) of the Penal Code, he could face seven to 20 years, according to the Associated Press.
According to that report, the verdict in his initial trial will be issued on November 15.