use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality =

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, alma_mater =

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, occupation =

Journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, years_active = , era = , employer =

Frontier Myanmar ''Frontier Myanmar'' ( my, ဖရန်တီးယားမြန်မာ) is a news and business magazine published in Yangon, Myanmar, owned by Black Knight Media Co. Ltd which also runs a content marketing agency called Black Knight Media Grou ...

, known_for = , notable_works = , style = , height = , spouse = Juliana Silva , partner = , children = , parents = Buddy Fenster
Rose Fenster , relatives = , family = , awards = , website = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Danny Fenster (born 1984) is an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

. He is the managing editor of ''

'', a local news magazine. In the aftermath of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military—which then veste ...

, Fenster became the only foreign journalist to be charged by military authorities, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sedition and related charges shortly before he was released in November 2021. The

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

awarded Fenster with the 2021 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award during his detention.

Early life

Fenster was born 1984 to Buddy and Rose Fenster. Fenster grew up in Huntington Woods, a suburb of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan. He attended Burton Elementary School, Norup Middle School, and

Berkley High School Berkley High School is a public high school in Berkley, Michigan. Berkley High's colors are maroon and blue and the school's mascot is a bear. Berkley is well known for its college prep courses, high standardized test scores, and teachers and a ...

, and pursued undergraduate studies at

; he received a master's degree in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

from

Career

Before relocating to Asia in 2018, Fenster worked for news outlets in Detroit and Louisiana. Fenster previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for

Myanmar Now Myanmar Now is a news agency based in Myanmar (Burma). Myanmar Now journalists publish bilingual Burmese and English articles on an eponymous online news portal. The agency provides free syndication throughout the country, with a distribution net ...

from mid-2019 until July 2020, and joined Frontier Myanmar in August 2020.

Detention in Myanmar

In February 2021, the Burmese military staged a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

and quickly curtailed press freedoms. The publishing licence of his former employer, Myanmar Now, was revoked in early March, but the outlet continued to report clandestinely. Fenster was detained by authorities on 24 May 2021 at

Yangon International Airport Yangon International Airport ( ) is the primary and busiest international airport of Myanmar. The airport is located in Mingaladon, north of central Yangon. All ten Myanmar carriers and about 30 international airlines operate at Yangon Intern ...

, while waiting to board a flight to visit his family in

. Fenster has been detained at notorious

Insein Prison Insein Prison ( my, အင်းစိန်ထောင်) is located in Yangon Division, near Yangon (Rangoon), the old capital of Myanmar (formerly Burma). From 1988 to 2011 it was run by the military junta of Myanmar, named the State Law and ...

. Fenster was charged for incitement, also known as

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

, for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information, under Section 17(1) of the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, in connection with his work at Myanmar Now. In October 2021, authorities charged Fenster of violating Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. Criminal proceedings have been shielded from the public and press. These colonial-era laws have previously been used to prosecute political activists and journalists reporting on opposition groups. On 3 November, the Burmese court rejected Fenster's bail application and authorities levied a new charge against him, of violating immigration law. On November 12, the Myanmar military court sentenced Fenster to 11 years in jail. A few days later on November 15, Fenster was released from jail back to his family in the United States. His release was “secured following a private humanitarian visit by former UN ambassador and New Mexico governor

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...

to Myanmar and face-to-face negotiations with General Min Aung Hlaing,” the commander in chief of Myanmar’s military.

Personal life

Fenster is married to Juliana Silva. He has one elder brother. Fenster is of Jewish background.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenster, Danny Jewish American journalists Living people People from Huntington Woods, Michigan 1984 births Columbia College Chicago alumni Wayne State University alumni Recipients of John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award American male journalists 21st-century American journalists Journalists from Michigan 21st-century American Jews American expatriates in Myanmar Prisoners and detainees of Myanmar Political prisoners