A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to one year in prison for insulting a sacred religious event on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali.
In a now-removed video, Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, had filmed himself walking to an empty beach during the Hindu holiday of Nyepi, describing the scene as “crazy”.
He was arrested in March after the video sparked widespread anger among Balinese on social media.
Nyepi, also known as the Day of Silence, is an annual holiday during which the usually bustling tourist island goes quiet, as people stay home and refrain from making loud noises. The restrictions apply to everyone on the island regardless of religion, including tourists.
On Nyepi, the island’s airport shuts down and internet access is restricted.
Entertainment events are restricted and even the use of electricity is discouraged.
Residents typically stock up on groceries ahead of Nyepi so they can stay at home during the holiday.
On Nyepi, which fell on 19 March this year, Zgraggen filmed himself breaking the ban on going out, in an Instagram post captioned with expletives, local media reported.
“What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage,” the presiding judge said, according to the Associated Press.
Zgraggen said during his trial that he did not understand the extent of Nyepi restrictions and did not mean to insult the Balinese.
“I deeply regret what I did, I apologise to the Balinese people,” the Associated Press reported him as saying in court.
Tourists have previously been detained or deported for violating Nyepi restrictions.
Bali has seen tourist numbers recover past its pandemic lull. Last year it welcomed a record seven million international visitors.
But along with the surge in tourism comes misbehaviour that has vexed locals and Balinese authorities. Foreigners have been penalised for offensive acts at religious sites, forming exclusive tourist enclaves and flouting traffic laws.
Authorities have vowed to tighten scrutiny of the island’s tourists and crackdown on unruly foreigners.
