The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by hate speech convict Alfian Tanjung.

Alfian, who is a Muslim preacher, has been moved from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade headquarters in Depok, West Java, to Porong Penitentiary in Sidoarjo, East Java, where he will serve his two-year prison sentence, following the court’s ruling.

In his appeal, Alfian challenged the East Java High Court’s ruling, which found him guilty under Article 16 of Law No.40/2008 on the elimination of racial and ethnic discrimination.

In his sermon, Alfian accused President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. M. Iriawan of being members of the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party.

Alfian’s legal team appealed the ruling to the East Java High Court, which upheld the two-year sentence. Alfian said his legal team was preparing a second case review request.  (gis/ebf)