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ADANG: Alexander Aan, 31, the South Sumatra civil servant who was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years’ imprisonment for defaming Islam after declaring himself an atheist on a social media website, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Alexander’s lawyer, Roni Saputra, said on Monday that his client wanted to overturn the decision handed down by the Muaro District Court, claiming that the court was unable to prove that Alexander had disseminated information that might trigger clashes within society.

“The ones who spread and caused hatred were the two witnesses who told about Alexander’s postings on Facebook,” Roni, who is also the deputy director of the Padang Legal Aid Foundation, said.

Alexander has had his reading privileges limited while serving his sentence at Muaro Sijunjung Penitentiary, according to Roni.

“The prison officers took away some of the books given by Alexander’s supporters and handed them over to the police,” he said. “The seized books include a book about the revolution in China and a book on the Buddha’s spiritual journey. They were afraid that Alexander will remain an atheist. The books are widely available in bookstores.”

Alexander has also complained about the restriction. “There’s nothing I can do aside from reading books with light content. I can no longer enjoy quality books,” he told The Jakarta Post prior to his trial at the district court in June.