An American journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar was detained by local authorities on Monday as he tried to board a plane to the United States.
Danny Fenster, 37, was stopped at the Yangon airport. Staff at Frontier Myanmar, where he is employed, said they don’t know why he was detained.
“We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning. We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release. Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs,” the magazine tweeted.
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Fenster is a Detroit-area native who joined the paper in August 2020. He lives in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.
Frontier Myanmar describes itself as “an unbiased voice in transitional Myanmar,” which informs and entertains with coverage of current affairs, business, and long-form features available in English and Burmese.
The magazine also says it considers itself a training ground for young Burmese journalists and values making space for a range of voices and opinions.
Since the military junta took over in February, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, roughly 80 journalists have been arrested, half of whom remain detained or are awaiting charges or trial. Fenster is the third foreign journalist to be detained, after Polish and Japanese journalists were also expelled, according to a report by the Detroit News.
Fenster’s brother Bryan Fenster said his family was “extremely confused” as to why he was detained.
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“We’re absolutely stunned and extremely confused as to why Dan was detained,” Fenster wrote on Facebook. “We’re grateful to his family in Yangon, the Embassy, his friends/co-workers at Frontier Myanmar and the many people on the ground who are helping him. We love you so much, Dan.”
