Alister Cogia, 22, was fined and sentenced to ten years and ten months in prison, later reduced to six years, for posting blasphemous content on a Facebook page he manages.
Alen Rigod (mother)
Alister Cogia, resident of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, was charged with using Facebook to insult Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and sentenced in March 2019 to ten years and ten months in prison, as well as a fine roughly equivalent to $12,000 USD. For several separate posts, he had actually been charged ten separate times, and he pleaded guilty to each one. The stacking of his individual sentences led to the overwhelming decade in prison he ultimately received.
"For someone to face five separate charges, and for the sentences to be served consecutively – this is excessive. And according to press reports, the accused was unrepresented. That in itself is a travesty of justice." - Andrew Khoo, Malaysian human rights lawyer
A razor-thin silver lining came six months later: a judge reduced his sentence to only six years. Thus, Alister would now languish in prison for some comments he wrote online for four years fewer.
Man jailed 10 years for insulting Islam and prophet - Free Malaysia Today
Sarawakian who insulted Prophet gets reduced jail term - The Malaysian Insight
Malaysian jailed for more than 10 years for insulting Islam - Al Jazeera
Court cuts jail time for Sarawakian convicted of insulting Islam, retains RM50,000 fine - Malay Mail
Malaysia's constitution establishes Islam as the state religion. Though this is ostensibly only symbolic, meant to affirm the importance of the Islamic faith to the Muslim-majority country, in practice there is much overlap between mosque and state. Blasphemy laws target anyone who insults religion or incites religious hatred in the judgment of the authorities; atheists, agnostics, and other religiously unaffiliated are discriminated against.