Myanmar's military junta sentences U.S. journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in jail, lawyer says

A court in Myanmar sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison on Friday, after a secret trial conducted in Yangon's notorious Insein prison, according to his lawyer and employer, Frontier Myanmar magazine. Fenster, 37, was detained while waiting to board a U.S.-bound flight in May. He's the first foreign journalist sentenced since Myanmar's military seized control of the country in a coup in February.

The military quickly crushed peaceful protests to their toppling of Myanmar's fragile democracy, killing more than 1,200 civilians and arresting about 10,000 more, according to the United Nations and Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The ruling junta also cracked down on press freedoms, shuttering nearly all critical media outlets and arresting some 100 journalists.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.