A three-man panel led by Justice Ahmadi Asnawi allowed Siti Noor Aishah Atam’s appeal on her jail sentence, reducing it from five years to three.

“We agree with Aishah’s lawyer that the five-year sentence is ‘manifestly excessive’,” said Justice Kamardin Hashim, who read out the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

Aishah was ordered to serve her jail sentence from the date of her arrest on March 22, 2016.

Her conviction under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code remains as the court found that her appeal on the judgment was without merit.

Kamardin said the trial judge had not erred in his judgment pronouncing Aishah guilty, and that there was no warrant for the appellate’s intervention.

The panel also ruled that the charge against Aishah was not defective and had not prejudiced her in the case.

In April, the High Court sentenced Aishah to five years’ jail for possessing 12 terrorism-related books.

The books included “Visi Politik Gerakan Jihad” (Political Vision of the Jihad Movement), “Al-Zarqawi – al-Qaida’s Second Generation”, “Dari Usama Kepada Para Aktivis” (From Osama to Activists at Large), “Dari Rahim Ikhwanul Muslimin Ke Pangkuan al-Qaeda” (From the Womb of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Lap of al-Qaeda) and “Ketika Maslahat Dipertuhankan dan Menjadi Taghut Model Baru” (When Natural Benefits are Idolised and Become New Models for Crossing the Limits).

In sentencing Aishah, judge Shariff Abu Samah said the court viewed terrorism-related offences very seriously.

The same judge had in September last year freed Aishah at the end of the prosecution’s case, ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code against her.

Shariff also said the home ministry had not banned the publication of the 12 books.

Speaking to reporters after the judgment, Aishah’s lawyer Kamaruzaman Abd Wahab said with the reduced sentence, she was expected to be released soon.

“She was detained since March last year. With a one-third remission, she has only a few months left to serve.”

Aishah’s father Atam Jusoh meanwhile said he was disappointed that she could not be released today.

“I thought she would be out today, but reality proved otherwise,” he said.

He said after serving her sentence, Aishah would continue pursuing her masters studies which had been delayed due to her criminal case.

Siti Aishah sentenced to 5 years’ jail over 12 ‘militant’ books