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US journalist Danny Fenster has been freed from jail in Myanmar after being sentenced three days ago by a military court to 11 years in prison.
His boss, English-language news site Frontier Myanmar, said he was on a flight from Myanmar.
Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military, which seized power in a coup in February, confirmed to the BBC that Fenster could leave the country.
The window was closed in May because he wanted to return to the US.
He is one of the hundreds of journalists, and a large number of poeple in total, who have been held since the coup.
Window, who was Frontier’s managing editor, was convicted of violating immigration law, illegal association and encouraging dissent against the military.
The release of the window appears to have been negotiated by former US Ambassador and Hostage Negotiator Bill Richardson, who is in Myanmar.
Mr Richardson said in a statement that windows would fly over Qatar home.
“This is the day you hope will come when you do this work,” he said.
Window’s brother, Bryan, said his family could not wait to have him back home.
“We are delighted that Danny has been released and is on his way home – we can not wait to hold him in our arms.
“We are extremely grateful to all the people who helped secure its publication, particularly Ambassador Richardson, as well as our friends and the general public, who expressed their support and stood by us as we went through these long and difficult months. have experienced. ”
As per Frontier, Fenster had also worked for Myanmar Now, an news site that has been played an important against the military since the coup.
“The charges were all based on allegations that he worked for the banned media Myanmar Now. Danny resigned from Myanmar Now in July 2020 and joined Frontier next month, so he was arrested at the time of his arrest in May. “Worked with Frontier for more than nine months,” the news site said.
“There is certainly no point for convicting Danny of these charges.”
In a statement before the verdict, the US State Department commented that “the deep unjust nature of Danny’s detention is clear to the whole world. The regime should take the precautionary step to release him now”.