- The American journalist Danny Fenster detained in Myanmar has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a court in a country ruled by the military government.
- Finster, the editor-in-chief of the Myanmar border, was arrested at Yangon International Airport while trying to leave the country.
- He was sentenced for inciting and violating immigration laws and illegal association laws.
His lawyer and his employer said that the military-ruled Myanmar court sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison on Friday.
Fenster, 37, is the editor-in-chief of the online magazine “Myanmar Border”. He was arrested while trying to leave Myanmar in May and has since been detained in Yangon’s notorious Yongsheng Prison.
Attorney Than Zaw Aung confirmed this sentence to Reuters, but he did not provide more details.
His employer, Myanmar Border, said it was ordered because of incitement, violation of immigration laws and illegal association laws.
New and more serious charges of sedition and violation of terrorism laws were added earlier this week, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“There is absolutely no conviction for Danny based on these allegations,” said Tomskine, editor-in-chief of the Myanmar border.
‘Serious injustice’
“Everyone at Frontier is disappointed and frustrated with this decision. We just want to see Danny released as soon as possible so that he can go home and reunite with his family.”
The United States has been pushing for the release of Finster. The US Embassy in Myanmar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The spokesperson of the ruling military committee could not be reached immediately.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the military coup in February toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.
The United Nations quoted activists as saying that in the strong opposition to military rule, more than 1,200 civilians were killed and dozens of journalists were detained, including thousands of journalists.
In an unannounced pre-sentence speech, the US State Department said: “The extremely unjust nature of Danny’s detention is obvious to all. The regime should now take prudent steps to release him.”
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