15.11.2021 – 19.11.2021 Atatepaper Apine (1)

WAN-IFRA, the editorial board of the World News and Publishers, called for the immediate release of Danny Fanstar, managing editor of Frontier Myanmar online magazine, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of multiple offenses in Burma.

Fangstar is known for inciting or disseminating false information. He was convicted on November 12 of conspiracy to commit a crime with conspiracy to commit illegal association with a criminal organization.

He has also been convicted in another court of violating Burma’s counter-terrorism law. He faces charges of treason and defamation. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

“We call for the immediate release of Danny Fanstar and for the removal of all charges against him as a significant threat to the struggling freedom of the press in Burma,” said Andrew Hasslop, executive director of the WAN-IFRA.

“Such baseless allegations are intended to deter the media from doing their job and instill fear in them,” he said. We also condemn the use of Danny in political risk-taking in response to US sanctions on the Burmese government. It is completely unacceptable for any journalist to be targeted like this, ”he said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also demanded the immediate release of Danny Fanstar.

“We are deeply saddened by the harsh sentencing of journalist Danny Fanstar and call for his unconditional release and for all charges against him to be dropped,” said Shaw Crispin, CPJ’s Southeast Asia Representative.

“Myanmar needs to stop imprisoning journalists for just publishing their work,” he said.

According to media reports, Fanstar was arrested in May on his way home to meet his family in Detroit, USA, and has since been detained at Rangoon’s Insein Prison.

He was initially charged with inciting dissent against the military; Illegal communication; He was charged with breach of immigration law and then charged with defamation and terrorism.