U.S. journalist Fenster jailed for 11 years in army-ruled Myanmar

• Fenster faces further charges of sedition and violation of the Terrorism Act
• First foreign journalist imprisoned in Myanmar in years
• Detention as a warning to media, US group
• The US has urged the junta into “deeply unjust” imprisonment

November 12 (Reuters) – A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to eleven years in prison, his lawyer and employer said, which dealt a blow to US efforts to get his release.

Fenster, 37, editor-in-chief of online magazine Frontier Myanmar, was found guilty of inciting and violating immigration and illegal association laws, his magazine said, describing the judgments as “the toughest possible under the law”.

He is the first Western journalist to be jailed in Myanmar in recent years, where a February 1 military coup against an elected government led by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi ended a decade of tentative moves towards democracy and nationwide protests triggered.

“There is absolutely no basis on which to convict Danny on these charges,” said Thomas Kean, editor-in-chief of Frontier Myanmar, one of the country’s leading independent news agencies.

“Everyone at Frontier is disappointed and frustrated with this decision. We just want Danny to be released as soon as possible so he can go home to his family.”

Fenster was arrested while trying to leave the country in May and has been held in the infamous Insein Prison in Yangon ever since.

He was charged earlier this week, without further explanation from the authorities, on other and more serious offenses of sedition and terrorism law violations. These charges are each punished with a maximum of 20 years in prison. Continue reading

His family repeatedly requested his release and said it was “heartbroken” about his detention.

Window’s trial had not been made public and a junta spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘CLEAR TO SEE’

The American is among dozens of journalists arrested in Myanmar after post-coup protests and strikes that hampered the military’s efforts to consolidate power. Independent media were accused of incitement by the junta.

More than 1,200 civilians have been killed in protests and thousands arrested since the coup, according to activists quoted by the United Nations.

The United States is pushing for windows to be released. The U.S. embassy in Myanmar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday’s ruling.

The State Department had previously said his detention was “deeply unjust” and “evident to the world” and asked the junta to release him immediately.

Myanmar authorities missed windows in a recent amnesty for hundreds of people arrested for protests against the junta, including some journalists.

During nearly half a century of harsh rule by the Tatmadaw, as the military is called, media coverage was tightly controlled by the state, but Myanmar’s media flourished after the quasi-civilian government introduced provisional reforms in 2011.

However, since the coup in February, the military has revoked media licenses, restricted internet and satellite broadcasts, and arrested dozens of journalists in what human rights groups have called an attack on the truth.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report in July that Myanmar’s rulers had effectively criminalized independent journalism.

Frontier Myanmar publisher Sonny Swe, who served eight years in prison during the previous era of military rule, announced the detention of Fenster on Twitter under the message, “There are many things going so wrong in this country.”

Phil Robertson, assistant Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Window’s detention was outrageous and intended to send warning messages to the media and the United States.

“The junta’s rationale for this outrageous, infringing verdict is to first shock and intimidate all remaining Burmese journalists in Myanmar by punishing a foreign journalist in this way,” he said.

“The second message is more strategic and focuses on sending the US a message that the Tatmadaw generals do not appreciate being hit by economic sanctions and can fight back with hostage diplomacy,” he said.

Reporting by Reuters staff Writing by Martin Petty Editing by Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-journalist-fenster-sentenced-11-years-jail-myanmar-lawyer-2021-11-12/