"I wasn't beaten or starved," says U.S. journalist freed in Myanmar

Following negotiations between former U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson and the ruling military junta, Danny Fenster was released from prison in Myanmar and returned home to the United States on Monday.

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (L) and journalist Danny Fenster pose on the tarmac in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, after Fenster's release from prison. Photo credits: The Richardson Center.

Despite his frail appearance, Fenster, 37, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar's independent online magazine, appeared frail three days after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for incitement and violating immigration laws. Since May, Fenster has been held in jail.

At the Doha airport, he told reporters on the tarmac that he was healthy and hadn't been beaten or starved while in captivity.

He is one of the dozens of journalists detained in Myanmar since a coup on Feb. 1. The coup abruptly ended a decade of attempts to democratize the country. Many media outlets have been accused by Myanmar's military of incitement and spreading false information.

Farhan Haq, the U.N. spokesman in New York, said the U.N. hailed Fenster's release as a "positive step" but called for the immediate release of at least 47 other journalists.

In the aftermath of the coup, 10,143 people were arrested and 1,260 people died in violence in Myanmar, mostly in crackdowns by security forces on protests and dissent.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the U.S. government for facilitating Fenster's release and said Washington will "continue to call for the release of others who remain unjustly imprisoned."

* This article contained information that was sourced from Reuters.