Myanmar court sentences U.S. journalist to 11 years

A Myanmar court on Friday found American journalist Danny Fenster guilty of three charges including inciting dissent against the military and sentenced him to 11 years in prison, according to his lawyer and the news outletthat employed him.

Mr. Fenster, the managing editor of news outlet Frontier Myanmar, also was found guilty of breaching immigration laws and being in contact with banned organizations nearly six months after he wasdetained by the Southeast Asiannation’s military junta.

“We can say that this is the first harsh verdict handed downto a foreigner by a court in Myanmar since the coup. It is not appropriate,” Than Zaw Aung, the lawyer for Mr. Fenster, said by phone. He said the journalist was also asked to pay a fine of 100,000 kyats ($56).

Mr. Fenster is one of two foreigners still being held by thejunta, according to the AssistanceAssociation for Political Prisoners. The other is Sean Turnell, who was a special economic consultant to Myanmar’s detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, bothof whom are also on trial for several alleged offenses.

He was taken into custody by the regime at the airport in Yangon in May as he was trying to leave the country just months after the junta took over. He was held in the city’s Insein Prison and later charged.

“The charges were based on the allegation he was working for Myanmar Now in the aftermath of the Feb. 1 coup,” Frontier Myanmar tweeted referring to another local news outlet. “Danny resigned from Myanmar Now in July 2020 and joined Frontierthe following month.”

Frontier Myanmar is an independent English-language news magazine based in Yangon that is often critical of the military.

The sentence comes in the same week the court added fresh charges of terrorism and sedition to Mr. Fenster’s alleged offenses. If found guilty of the former, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the penalty for the sedition law goes upto three years.