An American journalist arrested in Myanmar is facing additional charges from that nation’s military junta.
According to The Guardian, Danny Fenster was charged with sedition and terrorism. The charges potentially mean that Fenster could spend the rest of his life in prison for simply doing his job.
The military has squeezed the press since taking power in a February coup, arresting dozens of journalists critical of its crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 1,200 people, according to a local monitoring group.
Danny Fenster, who had been working for local outlet Frontier Myanmar for around a year, was arrested as he was heading home to see his family in May and has been held in Yangon’s Insein prison since.
The 37-year-old is already on trial for allegedly encouraging dissent against the military, unlawful association and breaching immigration law.
The additional charges under Myanmar’s anti-terror and sedition laws open Fenster up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The trial is scheduled to begin on 16 November.
As strong supporters of a free press, we call on the Myanmar government to release Danny immediately.