World

Australia calls for “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar


Australia calls for 'immediate release' of economist detained in Myanmar

Australia’s foreign minister called for the “immediate release” of economist Sean Turnell.

Sydney:

Australia’s foreign minister called on Sunday for the “immediate release” of economist Sean Turnell, who has been detained by Myanmar’s military for the past year.

Turnell, an Australian economics professor, was working as an adviser to civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he was arrested last February, just days after a military coup.

He has been charged with violating Myanmar’s official secrecy law and faces a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison if found guilty.

“Professor Turnell’s detention is unfair and we deny the charges against him,” Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.

“We again call for the immediate release of Professor Turnell.”

According to a local monitoring group, the coup sparked mass protests and a bloody military crackdown, with more than 1,500 civilians killed and nearly 12,000 arrested as of February 4.

Human rights groups have raised concerns about Turnell’s prosecution, especially after the Australian embassy was denied participation in his trial in September.

Payne said: “In line with basic standards of justice and transparency, we hope that Professor Turnnell should be unhindered from having access to his lawyers and being able to follow up by Australian officials. his court proceedings.

Turnell was in a phone interview with the BBC when he was detained following the coup.

“I’ve just been in custody at the moment, and probably charged with something, I don’t know what that would be, of course it could be anything,” Turnell told the broadcaster at the time.

“Everybody was very polite and all that, but obviously I’m not free to move or anything like that.”

Last month, a coalition of NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and the Australian Refugee Council, called on the Australian government to impose targeted sanctions on leaders. Myanmar’s military.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from a syndication feed.)



Source link

newsofmax

News of max: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button
Immediate Matrix Immediate Maximum