US journalist sentenced to 11 years in jail in Myanmar

By Grant Peck | Associated Press

BANGKOK — A tribunal successful military-ruled Myanmar connected Friday sentenced U.S. writer Danny Fenster to 11 years successful situation with hard labor, the maximum punishment nether 3 charges, contempt calls by the United States and rights groups for his release.

It was the harshest punishment yet among the 7 journalists known to person been convicted since the subject ousted the elected authorities of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi successful February. Fenster, the managing exertion of the online mag Frontier Myanmar, inactive faces further coercion and treason charges nether which helium could person up to beingness successful prison.

The tribunal recovered him blameworthy connected Friday of spreading mendacious oregon inflammatory information, contacting amerciable organizations and violating visa regulations, lawyer Than Zaw Aung said.

Fenster wept aft proceeding the condemnation and has not yet decided whether to appeal, the lawyer said.

The harsh punishment is the ruling military’s latest rebuff of calls from astir the satellite for a peaceful extremity to Myanmar’s governmental crisis. The authorities is refusing to cooperate with an envoy appointed by Southeast Asian governments to mediate a solution, and has not bowed to sanctions imposed by the United States and respective different Western countries.

U.N. quality rights main Michelle Bachelet said Fenster’s condemnation and harsh condemnation “is emblematic of the wider plight of journalists successful Myanmar who person been facing changeless repression since the Feb. 1 subject coup.”

According to Bachelet, astatine slightest 126 journalists, media officials oregon publishers person been detained by the subject since the subject seized powerfulness and 47 stay successful detention, including 20 charged with crimes.

Nine media outlets person had their licenses revoked, 20 others person had to suspend operations, and dozens of journalists stay successful hiding owed to outstanding apprehension warrants, she said.

“Journalists person been nether onslaught since Feb. 1, with the subject enactment intelligibly attempting to suppress their attempts to study connected the superior quality rights violations being perpetrated crossed Myanmar arsenic good arsenic the grade of absorption to the regime,” Bachelet said. “Myanmar has rapidly reverted to an situation of accusation control, censorship and propaganda seen nether subject regimes successful the past.”

“I impulse the subject authorities to instantly merchandise each journalists being detained successful narration to their work,” she said, stressing that radical are being deprived “of life-saving information.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports Bachelet’s views, and reiterated that journalists everywhere, including those successful Myanmar, indispensable beryllium allowed to enactment without harassment and that reporting facts “is not and indispensable not beryllium seen arsenic a crime,” U.N. lawman spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

“It’s wide that Danny is being made an illustration of, and what it shows is that the junta bash not attraction what the planetary assemblage thinks,” said Manny Maung, Myanmar researcher for the New York-based radical Human Rights Watch. “They would bash arsenic they want, and this is 1 illustration of however they are fundamentally showing the planetary assemblage that they cannot beryllium held accountable.”

The army’s takeover was opposed by wide peaceful protests that were enactment down with lethal force. Security forces killed much than 1,200 civilians and arrested astir 10,000 others, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Armed absorption has since spread, and U.N. experts and different observers fearfulness the incipient insurgency could descent into civilian war.

Fenster was detained astatine Yangon International Airport connected May 24 arsenic helium was astir to committee a formation to spell to the Detroit country successful the United States to spot his family.

The military-installed authorities has cracked down hard connected property freedom, shutting down virtually each captious outlets. Of the 7 journalists known to person been convicted, six are Myanmar nationals and 4 were released successful a wide amnesty connected Oct. 21.

Some of the closed media outlets person continued operating without a license, publishing online arsenic their unit members dodge arrest.

At slightest 3 different overseas journalists, from Japan, the United States and Poland, person been detained. The American, Nathan Maung, said helium was tortured portion successful custody.

The hearings connected the archetypal 3 charges against Fenster were held astatine a tribunal successful Yangon’s infamous Insein Prison, wherever helium is jailed. They were closed to the media and the public, and accounts of the proceedings person travel from Fenster’s lawyer.

Despite grounds from much than a twelve prosecution witnesses, it was ne'er wide precisely what Fenster was alleged to person done, and it appeared that helium was judged blameworthy by association.

Much of the prosecution’s lawsuit appeared to hinge connected his being employed by Myanmar Now, different online quality site, that was ordered closed this year. But Fenster near his occupation astatine Myanmar Now successful July past year, joining Frontier Myanmar the pursuing month.

Prosecution witnesses testified that they were informed by a missive from the Information Ministry that its records showed that Fenster continued to beryllium employed this twelvemonth by Myanmar Now.

Both Myanmar Now and Frontier Myanmar issued nationalist statements that Fenster had near the erstwhile work past year, and his lawyer said defence testimony, arsenic good arsenic income taxation receipts, established that helium works for Frontier Myanmar.

Than Zaw Aung said helium was incapable to nutrient a authorities authoritative to testify, and the justice took into relationship lone the Information Ministry letter.

“Therefore, according to this letter, Danny is liable for Myanmar Now and the justice said that’s wherefore Danny was sentenced,” the lawyer said.

He said Fenster told him that the editor-in-chief of Myanmar Now allegedly forgot to pass the Information Ministry of his resignation past year.

The U.S. government, quality rights groups, property state associations and Fenster’s household had pressed powerfully for the 37-year-old journalist’s release.

“Myanmar indispensable halt jailing journalists for simply doing their occupation of reporting the news,” said Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia typical of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

“I americium devastated by the quality of the sentencing of my constituent, writer Danny Fenster,” said Michigan Rep. Andy Levin, a Democrat from suburban Detroit.

“Despite Danny’s lawyer demonstrating grounds to wide him of these charges oregon immoderate wrongdoing whatsoever, this verdict comes down successful a lawsuit wherever determination has not been a scintilla of justice,” helium said successful a statement.

Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer astatine the United Nations and Mike Householder successful Detroit contributed to this report.