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The US journalist Danny Fenster in Louisiana before leaving for Myanmar
Photo: - / AFP
A US journalist arrested more than three weeks ago appeared in court for the first time in the crisis country of Myanmar.
Danny Fenster, a senior editor of the English-language magazine "Frontier Myanmar", has been sitting in the notorious Insein torture prison in the former capital of Yangon since his arrest.
He is to be charged with Section 505 (a) of the Criminal Code, his boss Thomas Kean told the dpa news agency.
The section has been widely used since the military coup in early February to bring journalists, politicians and activists to justice. According to Amnesty International, it forbids the dissemination of declarations and reports "with the intention of inducing members of the Myanmar armed forces to mutiny or otherwise disregard or neglect their duties." The 37-year-old Fenster risks three years in prison but has not yet been formally charged, Kean said.
Representatives from "Frontier Myanmar" had not received permission to attend the hearing.
"We're still trying to get information about why Danny was arrested and why we must remain in custody," Kean said.
The next court date was set for July 1, it said.
Fenster was arrested at Yangon Airport on May 24 when he was flying back to his family in the United States.
Junta crackdown
The military junta has been cracking down on its opponents since the coup.
The military brutally suppressed any resistance: According to estimates by the prisoners' aid organization AAPP, at least 863 people were killed.
More than 6,100 people have already been arrested, including dozens of journalists.
Others fled the country.
However, foreign media representatives have long been considered relatively safe.
The army had justified its coup with alleged manipulation of the parliamentary elections in November, which the party of Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi had won.
The former Nobel Peace Prize laureate is currently on trial in an internationally criticized trial (read more here).
Among other things, she is accused of disregarding corona requirements and illegally importing radio equipment.
Critics consider the allegations to be made.
mrc / dpa