Indonesia Prosecutes Atheist For Blaspehmy

The Guardian reported yesterday that in Indonesia, for the first time an atheist is being prosecuted for blasphemy, which includes a violation of the first pillar of Indonesia's state philosophy – pancasila, which requires belief in one god. Alex Aan was arrested for posting "God doesn't exist" on his Facebook page.  He was moved to a rural prison after other inmates at the local prison in Padang in west Sumatra badly beat him when they learned of the charges against him. If convicted, Aan faces up to 11 years in prison. Under Indonesian law, the practice of Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism is protected. Questioning those faiths is treated as "insulting a major religion," and is punishable by 5 years in prison, with 6 years added if the defendant uses the Internet to spread the blasphemy.