Sect member sentenced to three years Sunday, November 11, 2007 Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Supreme Court has sentenced senior member of the Lia Eden sect Abdul Rachman to three years in prison for blasphemy, a Jakarta Legal Aid Institute representative said. Hermawanto, a lawyer from the institute working on Abdul's case, said his team was informed of the verdict by the Supreme Court on Friday. "The Supreme Court said in its verdict an earlier Central Jakarta District Court ruling was annulled and the defendant was guilty of blasphemy," he said. "Abdul was sentenced to three years imprisonment." Abdul is second in command in the Lia Eden sect, otherwise known as the Kingdom of God, and claims to be the reincarnation of the Prophet Muhammad. Supreme Court spokesperson Joko Sarwoko was unavailable for comment. A written statement regarding the verdict from the Lia Eden community was released to the press Saturday. "We were told by our lawyer yesterday that the Supreme Court granted the appeal made by the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office," the statement read. Hermawanto said the Central Jakarta District Court acquitted Abdul of all charges brought against him by the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office late last year, including charges of blasphemy and igniting public hostility. Hermawanto said the institute would study the verdict and appeal to the Supreme Court. "We're still studying the verdict and preparing a case review as well as waiting for legal submissions from a number of coalitions concerned with pluralism," he said. On Oct. 30, the sect's leader Lia Eden, also known as Lia Aminuddin, was released from the Pondok Bambu penitentiary after serving a two-year sentence for blasphemy. Lia, who claims to be both the Angel Gabriel and the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, said she would continue her teachings despite warnings. "I received more of God's messages while I was in prison. I'll write them down and share them with the people," she said.