Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

Editions

World

Swiss tourist jailed for insulting Bali’s sacred Day of Silence

A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to one year in prison in Bali for social media posts insulting Nyepi

A Swiss tourist, Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, has been sentenced to one year in prison by a court in Bali, Indonesia, for insulting the sacred Day of Silence, a Balinese Hindu observance. Zgraggen, 26, was found guilty of violating Indonesia's new criminal code by posting social media messages about the Day of Silence, despite being informed of the restrictions by staff at the villa where he was staying.

The presiding judge, Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima, stated that Zgraggen's posts offended Balinese people, hurt their faith, and provoked public outrage. The Day of Silence, also known as Nyepi, is a day when the island's beaches and streets are deserted, and the airport is shut down with the internet switched off. Zgraggen boasted in Instagram posts about defying restrictions and was arrested following public complaints and accusations from Balinese residents.

Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

This story

This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.

Read the original at aljazeera.com →

More in World

Cheap Peach Scam Spreads Online

A new type of fraud in which scammers pose as real farmers and advertise seasonal fruit at unusually low prices has been detected in the Kansai region, with police warning consumers to verify sellers…

More from Thursday 20 August →