Professor Sean Turnell was accused of violating the Official States Secrets Act. Following a secret trial in September 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. After 650 days of incarceration and severe ill-treatment, including solitary confinement, he was finally released in November 2022.

Sean has worked relentlessly in the cause of improving the economic, social and cultural circumstances of Myanmar’s population. His commitment to, and impact on public policy in Myanmar has won wide respect, both within Myanmar and beyond. The people of Myanmar and Australia’s Burmese community are extraordinarily grateful for Sean’s contribution. Sean’s book about his experience, An Unlikely Prisoner, was published in November 2023.

Sean is an Honorary Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, and non-resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. He has been a Senior Economic Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and a policy adviser to a range of international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Sean’s work is regarded as some of the most insightful on Myanmar’s economic development and was requested by Aung San Suu Kyi (former State Counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel laureate) to design and plan economic reforms in Myanmar.

Share this with your friends