HUNTINGTON WOODS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Boarding a flight, leaving Myanmar, and arriving home to a message are two of the greatest moments for Danny Fenster.
“There was the sign that said ‘Welcome to Detroit’ those are two moments that are pressed in my brain,” said Fenster.
The 37-year-old American journalist from Huntington Woods spent more than 5 months in Myanmar after a military coup.
“It was a lot of reading. A lot of sitting around thinking and staring at walls,” said Fenster.
What kept him sane was the bi-weekly visits from his wife who is still in Myanmar.
“She came when they let her which was every other week and delivered a huge food parcel to me and we wrote each other love letters and the only thing keeping me focused and getting me out of there,” he adds.
Fenster was released on Monday just a week after he was sentenced to 11 years in jail for several charges including, incitement for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information.
At the time of his arrest, Fenster was working as the managing editor with Frontier Myanmar. He says the publication deserves a lot of credit on his release.
“My employers, Frontier, who hired him and stood by me and pressed to get me out of there,” said Fenster.
He says he has a lot to be grateful for; the love and support from his family and brother Brian.
“He brought together institutions, government, private, celebrities and he pulled din all these forces that needed to work together to get this crazy thing resolved,” he adds.
As Fenster has his mother tight he says he has a lot to be thankful for, “I feel incredibly fortunate to be home.”
For other imprisoned journalists waiting to come back home, he says, “If you’re still breathing there is hope.”
Fenster says he does plan on staying in journalism but right now he just wants to rest and enjoy his family.
As for his wife she is expected to be back in the states right before Thanksgiving.
