American journalist Danny Fenster reunited with his relatives Tuesday morning at JFK airport in New York after being released from prison and pardoned in Burma where he spent six months in detention, sentenced to 11 years in prison, notably for inciting dissent .
Very emaciated, smiling, dressed as he was on Monday during a stopover in Doha alongside the former diplomat and American politician Bill Richardson who worked for his release, the 37-year-old journalist considered "
incredible
" d to be back on American soil.
Read also Burma: American journalist Danny Fenster claims not to have been "mistreated"
“
It's been a long wait.
This is a moment that I have imagined for so long.
It goes beyond anything I had imagined,
”he said briefly in front of a few journalists, including AFPTV, in a terminal at the New York airport.
Danny Fenster, editor-in-chief of Frontier Myanmar magazine, one of the country's main independent news outlets, was arrested in May while trying to leave Burma.
He had since been held at the infamous Insein prison in Rangoon, alongside many political prisoners.
Read also Burma: American journalist Danny Fenster has been released
Last week, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for inciting dissent, unlawful association and violating visa law.
Released on Monday, he was due to appear in court on Tuesday for terrorism and sedition, and for these two new charges faced life imprisonment.
But he was pardoned "
for humanitarian reasons
" after negotiations with Bill Richardson and two Japanese envoys, the Burmese regime said.
