U.S. journalist Nathan Maung, the editor-in-chief of Kamayut Media, was released from Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday after spending more than three months in detention. The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes Maung’s release, but calls on the Myanmar junta to release all other journalists in detention, including American Danny Fenster and Hanthar Nyein, Maung鈥檚 colleague and cofounder of Kamayut Media.
Maung and Nyein were charged with violating Section 505a of Myanmar鈥檚 penal code, which penalizes the spreading of 鈥渇alse news鈥� and has been commonly applied by the junta against journalists. They were detained March 9 by the junta鈥檚 armed forces after the Kamayut Media office in Yangon was raided.
Sources told that Maung and Nyein were held and tortured in an interrogation centre for two weeks after their arrest. The journalists were beaten, denied food and water for days at a time, and forced to kneel on ice.
The charges against Maung were withdrawn and he was scheduled to be deported back to the U.S. on Tuesday, his lawyer told . Nyein remains in prison.
鈥淭he release of Nathan Maung is a small bit of good news amid the horrors of Myanmar鈥檚 crackdown on journalists鈥�, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen. 鈥淲hile we welcome Nathan鈥檚 release, it鈥檚 clear that dozens of other journalists remain behind bars and subject to abuse and torture by the military junta. We continue to demand the release of all detained reporters in Myanmar, and we repeat our call on the international community to defend fundamental rights in the country.鈥�
Kamayut Media has been described as Myanmar鈥檚 first private online broadcast news organization and has reported on the junta鈥檚 violence against protestors. In the wake of the Myanmar military鈥檚 February coup, there has been a brutal crackdown on journalists and members of the press throughout the country. The junta has suspended licenses of independent news organizations, raided media offices, and arrested over 80 journalists. As of May 25, there were still around 50 journalists behind bars.
American journalist Danny Fenster has been in detention since May 24, when he was prevented from boarding a flight out of Myanmar. Fenster, who was working as the managing editor of local news organization Frontier Myanmar, has not been charged with a crime.
IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi has called for Fenster鈥檚 release.
鈥淭he international community must respond forcefully to the increase in detentions, violence and intimidation of journalists in Myanmar in recent weeks, which represents an unacceptable attack on press freedom鈥�, Trionfi said in May.