A court in the Indonesian resort island of Bali sentenced a Swiss tourist to one year in prison on Thursday after he posted videos of himself defying restrictions during Nyepi, the island’s sacred Hindu Day of Silence, and using expletives to describe the observance.
Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, was found guilty of violating Indonesia’s hate speech laws after he shared Instagram posts and video clips in March showing himself walking to a beach during the 24-hour shutdown, when residents and visitors are required to stay indoors except in emergencies. The posts were widely shared on social media, drawing condemnation from Balinese residents who called them disrespectful.
“What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage,” presiding judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima told the court. “The defendant must be held accountable for his actions.”
Authorities tracked Zgraggen down after public complaints and arrested him at a villa in Legian, near Kuta Beach. During his trial, which began in June, he told the court he had not intended to insult the holiday or the Balinese people, saying he made the posts out of hunger and frustration after being unable to obtain food during the shutdown, and that he had not fully grasped the extent of the restrictions.
“I deeply regret what I did, I apologize to the Balinese people,” Zgraggen said in his defense.
Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu New Year observance, typically falls in March. For 24 hours, the island’s beaches and streets empty out, the airport closes and internet access is cut, with only designated patrols enforcing the silence. The restrictions apply to all residents and visitors regardless of religion or nationality.
Prosecutors said authorities have previously detained tourists and locals for venturing outside during Nyepi, but such cases were typically resolved without prosecution. Bali, a Hindu-majority island in mostly Muslim Indonesia, draws millions of foreign tourists each year, and local officials have grown increasingly vocal about visitors who flout its customs.
