Swiss man jailed for insulting Balinese Hindu holiday
A 26-year-old Swiss man has been sentenced to one year in prison in Indonesia for insulting the Balinese Hindu holiday of Nyepi in an Instagram post. The court cited his good behavior as a mitigating factor, while Swiss authorities are providing consular support.
Why it matters
The case serves as a reminder of the strict enforcement of local religious and cultural laws for international travelers.
Swiss authorities said they were providing consular support to a national sentenced to one year in prison for insulting a Hindu religious day while he was on holiday in Bali.
Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, was sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty of crimes under an Indonesian law against online hate speech, I Wayan Suarta, a spokesperson for the court in Denpasar, said.
Zgraggen was arrested in March after he was reported to police over an Instagram post in which he used expletives while denigrating “Nyepi”, the Hindu Day of Silence that marks the Balinese New Year.
On that day each year, the Hindu-majority island largely comes to a standstill, with work, travel, public entertainment and even electricity use discouraged for locals and tourists alike.
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