Swiss Tourist Sentenced to a Year in Jail for Insulting Sacred 'Day of Silence' in Bali
Authorities said the posts insulted a sacred Hindu observance and triggered public complaints before the court imposed the prison term.
- On Thursday, The Denpasar District Court sentenced Swiss tourist Luzian Andrin Zgraggen to one year in prison for insulting Nyepi, a sacred Balinese Hindu observance requiring residents and visitors to remain silent at home.
- Nyepi requires residents and visitors to remain home in silence, as the island of Bali shuts down airports and internet services to observe the day, with restrictions applying to everyone regardless of religion or nationality.
- Zgraggen posted videos on Instagram defying the restrictions, calling the tradition "crazy" in clips shared online that triggered condemnation from Balinese residents. Authorities arrested him at a villa in Legian, near Kuta Beach, following public complaints.
- Presiding judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima stated the actions offended the Balinese people and hurt their faith, ruling that the behavior provoked public outrage warranting accountability.
- While Zgraggen apologized to the Balinese people, saying "I deeply regret what I did," authorities noted that previous cases of tourists violating Nyepi were typically resolved without prosecution.
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Swiss Tourist Luzian Andrin Zgraggen Jailed for Insulting Hindu Holiday in Bali on Instagram | 🌎 LatestLY
A 26-year-old Swiss tourist has been sentenced to one year in prison in Indonesia after being found guilty of violating restrictions observed during Bali's Hindu holiday Nyepi and insulting the ritual in an Instagram video. 🌎 Swiss Tourist Luzian Andrin Zgraggen Jailed for Insulting Hindu Holiday in Bali on Instagram.
(Hanoi=Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Jin-hyung = A foreigner who uploaded a video to social media disparaging the sacred Hindu New Year tradition on Bali, Indonesia, a world-renowned tourist destination...
Nyepi, or the Day of Silence, is a holiday marked by special ceremonies. Island residents must stay home and refrain from work. Shops and beaches are closed. The streets are deserted except for patrols enforcing the rules of the special day. Denpasar International Airport is also closed for 24 hours. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Luzian Andrin Zgraggen posted videos on social media boasting about breaking the holiday's prohibitions. The video, uploaded…
"I deeply regret my actions and apologize to the people of Bali," the 26-year-old tourist told the court. The post Bali: Swiss tourist who violated the "Day of Silence" sentenced to one year in prison appeared first on in.gr.
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