A Myanmar court has sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison on charges of unlawful association, incitement against the military and breaching visa rules, his lawyer and employer said Friday.
Than Zaw Aung, Fenster’s lawyer, told VOA there are currently no plans for an appeal.
Fenster faces additional charges of sedition and terrorism, which could see him in jail for life. His lawyer said Wednesday he could not explain why the new charges were made, or what the authorities are accusing Fenster of having done.
The additional charges were filed under Section 124A of Myanmar’s penal code, which prohibits sedition against the government, and under Section 50A of Myanmar’s counterterrorism law, which criminalizes contact with “terrorist groups.”
"Everyone at Frontier is disappointed and frustrated at this decision," Yangon-based Frontier Myanmar said in a statement Friday.
Original charges
Fenster was arrested at Yangon International Airport in May as he boarded a flight to the United States, via Malaysia.
“They (police) thought he was working for Myanmar Now. At the airport arresting time, the police found his Myanmar Now name tag,” Than Zaw Aung told VOA.
Myanmar Now was one of five media outlets that had their licenses revoked by the junta in April.
Fenster worked for the news organization from 2019-20 but ended his position months before the military coup, details which were confirmed by Myanmar Now.
US reaction
The U.S. State Department condemned the conviction Friday.
"The Burmese military regime's sentencing of U.S. journalist Danny Fenster is an unjust conviction of an innocent person," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
In comments to VOA on Wednesday, Price said that Fenster should be released immediately.
"The profoundly unjust nature of Danny's detention is plain for all the world to see," he said. "The regime should take the prudent step of releasing him now. His continued detention is unacceptable. Journalism is not a crime."
In response to a question asked by a VOA reporter earlier this week, Price said seeing Fenster released is an “absolute priority.”
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has seen most of its modern history governed under military rule.
The military claimed unsubstantiated electoral fraud in the November 2020 elections. On February 1, it removed the democratically elected government; leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained and charged.
Anti-coup protests began shortly after, with thousands taking to the streets and refusing to work under military rule. But the military violently cracked down on dissidents, and at least 1,252 people have been killed since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.
More than 100 journalists and media staff have been arrested during the crackdown, according to Reporting ASEAN, a monitoring website for news in Asia.
Risky reporting in Myanmar
Reporters in Myanmar have said it’s almost impossible for journalists to cover news without high risks.
Myanmar freelance journalist Cape Diamond, an assumed name he uses to protect his identify, told VOA it’s no longer a shock that journalists like Fenster are facing such charges.
“The journalists in Myanmar have already acknowledged that there's no press freedom in the country. The local journalists are already aware that those charges could come to them anytime,” he added.
Aye Chan Naing, editorial director for Democratic Voice of Burma, a Myanmar broadcaster currently banned by the junta, told VOA in July that being a journalist in Myanmar is a “ticket to get arrested.”
The veteran journalist said the military has a “wish list” of targets.
“It is based on their own wills,” Aye Chan Naing said. “The judges are just following the orders from the military — it’s nothing based on the rule of law. (The charges against Fenster) are more to scare other people and the local journalists to show that even the foreign journalists can go to prison.”
“He hasn’t broken any rules and regulations, it’s pretty clear. There are no rules of law in the country,” he told VOA.
Rights groups call for release
John Quinley, a senior human rights specialist at Fortify Rights, told VOA that his organization has been monitoring those arrested in Myanmar since the coup, and it’s clear journalists like Fenster have been targeted deliberately.
“Danny Fenster should be immediately and unconditionally released from prison along with all other political prisoners detained by the junta,” Quinley said.
Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, said he believes the additional charges against Fenster are a wake-up call for further action against the military by the U.S. government.
“They need to do more to reduce the flow of money and arms to the military, including stopping gas revenue,” Farmaner told VOA via email.
Possible release
Myanmar analyst Aung Thu Nyein said he believes Fenster’s new charges are a “direct threat to press freedom” and that the prospect of heavier sentences is a new scare tactic the military government is using to deter contact with anti-military groups.
But the analyst told VOA he thinks Fenster still could be released.
“Danny could be sentenced for long-term imprisonment by political motivation, but he can be released any time soon, as the regime satisfies some form of diplomatic trade-off in relation with Western power.”
VOA’s Nike Ching contributed to this report.
