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Australia’s foreign minister demanded on Sunday that economist Sean Turnell, who has been held by Myanmar’s military junta for the past year, be released “immediately.”
When Turnell, an Australian economics professor, was imprisoned last February, just days after a military coup, he was serving as an advisor to civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
He risks a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison if proven guilty of breaking Myanmar’s official secrets law.
In a statement, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated, “Professor Turnell’s arrest is wrong, and we reject the allegations levelled against him.”
“We demand Professor Turnell’s release without delay once more.”
According to a local monitoring group, the coup provoked widespread protests and a deadly military crackdown, with over 1,500 civilians killed and nearly 12,000 imprisoned as of February 4.
Human rights organisations have expressed worry about Turnell’s prosecution, particularly after the Australian ambassador was refused access to his September court hearing.
“We expect Professor Turnell to have unrestricted access to his counsel and for Australian officials to be able to observe his court hearings, as is consistent with basic standards of fairness and transparency,” Payne said.
When Turnell was detained following the coup, he was in the middle of a telephone interview with the BBC.
Turnell told the station at the time, “I’ve simply been detained at the moment, and potentially charged with anything, I don’t know what that would be, might be anything at all.”
“Everyone has been quite courteous, but I obviously do not have the freedom to move or do anything.”
Last month, a group of non-governmental organisations, including Human Rights Watch and the Australian Refugee Council, urged the Australian government to impose targeted penalties on Myanmar’s military commanders.
