Given that the phenomenon of Facebook and social media
are relatively new, it's somewhat excusable for courts of law to be
unsure how to proceed with regard to matters involving human interaction
on the site. That said, there are few supporting an Indonesian court's
latest act: A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 30 months of prison and a
$10,600 fine for posting pro-atheist and anti-Islam comments on
Facebook.
Alexander Aan was charged with posting cartoons of the prophet
Mohammed to an atheist Facebook group and for making statements
including, "If God exists, then why do bad things happen?" The comments
Aan made wound up inciting an angry mob to seek him out and severely
beat him. Aan was arrested by police for his own protection.
Since then, Aan has been charged and convincted of "disseminating information aimed at inciting religious hatred or hostility." Amnesty International is calling for Aan's release,
branding his conviction "a serious setback for freedom of expression in
Indonesia, and [a violation of] Indonesia's obligations under
international law."
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