American journalist Danny Fenster is sentenced to 11 years in prison in Myanmar

(CNN Business) – A Myanmar military court sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison, his lawyer said on Friday.

Fenster, a 37-year-old man from Detroit, Michigan, has been detained in Myanmar for more than five months. He has been denied bail and has been held in Insein Prison in the country’s largest city Yangon since his arrest on May 24.

In a court hearing on Friday, his lawyer Than Zaw Aung said Fenster was found guilty of three charges brought against him by the Myanmar military, which took control of the country in a coup on February 1.

Those charges include visa violations, illegal association with an illegal group, and incitement under section 505a of the Myanmar Penal Code, which criminalizes posting or circulating comments that “cause fear” or spread “false news”. Fenster also received a local currency fine equivalent to $ 50.

Fenster is one of approximately 100 journalists arrested since the coup. About 30 remain behind bars.

Earlier this week he was charged with two new criminal charges under the country’s sedition and terrorism laws, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, his lawyer said.

They include charges under Section 124a of the Myanmar Penal Code, which mandates seven to 20 years in prison for attempting to generate hatred, contempt or disaffection towards the government and the military.

The other charge is under Section 50 of the Counter-Terrorism Act, which makes it a crime to have contact with officially designated “terrorist” groups. Under the terrorism charge, Fenster could face a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison if convicted, according to his lawyer and Myanmar’s sentencing guidelines.

It was not immediately clear why charges have been brought against the former editor-in-chief of Frontier Myanmar, an independent news outlet that covered current affairs, business and politics in Myanmar. Fenster was arrested at Yangon International Airport while trying to leave the country to see his family in the United States.

CNN Business has contacted the Myanmar military for comment.