"Without this I feel alone" - Alex Aan

Written by administrator | 18 July 2012

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Atheist Alliance International thanks everyone who has supported Alex Aan, the Indonesian atheist assaulted and arrested after posting 'God does not exist' and cartoons and articles about Islam on Facebook.  In June 2012 Alex was jailed for 2 1/2 years and fined Rp 100 million (c. US$10,600).

A friend of Alex in Indonesia was able to visit Alex in jail in early July and provide him with all the messages of support AAI has received from around the world - including from Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Colombia, the United States of America, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Denmark, Scotland, Sweden, Canada, India and the Philippines.  Alex greatly appreciates the support he continues to receive, saying in his note "Thanks for support and love, without this I feel alone."

Please support Alex by:

• sending a message of support to Alex - email info [at] atheistalliance [dot] org with "Message for Alex" in the subject line.  (Please remember that Alex is not a native English speaker and note that prison authorities will review any materials provided to Alex.)
• sharing this page and posting "God Does Not Exist" on your Facebook wall
• tweeting a message of support with hashtag #goddoesnotexist
• signing this petition to urge US President Obama to call on the Indonesian government  to release Alex [update: petition now closed]
• writing to the Indonesian authorities to condemn Alex's jail sentence and calling for a repeal of
• Indonesia's blasphemy laws so this does not happen to anyone else

Also, please consider donating to Atheist Alliance International's Legal/Support Fund for Alex Aan (to assist with Alex's legal costs and to support his family while he is in jail) or the Scholarship Fund for Alex Aan (to assist Alex to seek international study opportunities after he is released from jail).  

Alex's sentence is being appealed by the prosecutor for its leniency (!) and his conviction will be appealed by his defence team, so we need to keep up the pressure on the Indonesian authorities and let them know the world is watching.  Atheist Alliance International is pleased that German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently questioned the chief of Indonesia's Constitutional Court about religious freedom, although we doubt Alex would agree with chief Mahfud MD that his freedom as an atheist is "guaranteed".