A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to a year in a Bali prison after posting a video of himself walking on an empty beach during Nyepi, the island’s sacred Day of Silence.
Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, filmed himself walking along a deserted Bali beach back in March, right in the middle of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu New Year. In the clip, he called what he was seeing “crazy” and swore several times.
The video didn’t sit well with locals. Once it started circulating, people got very angry, and Zgraggen was arrested not long after.
What Nyepi actually involves
Nyepi is one of the most significant religious observances in Bali. For 24 hours, starting at 6am and running until 6am the next day, the entire island effectively shuts down. Businesses close and the airport stops operating.
People are expected to stay indoors, and even electricity and internet use gets restricted in some areas.
It’s meant to be a time of silence, meditation, and reflection, and the rules apply to everyone on the island, tourists included.
Patrol groups called Pecalang walk the streets to make sure people are following the restrictions, and anyone caught outside is typically sent straight back to where they’re staying.
An apology that came too late
Zgraggen’s trial started in June. He told the court he never meant to insult anyone, and said the whole thing happened because he was hungry and frustrated after struggling to find food during the shutdown.
“I deeply regret what I did, I apologise to the Balinese people,” he told the court.
Judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima wasn’t swayed. He said Zgraggen’s actions had genuinely hurt people’s faith and caused real public anger, and that accountability was necessary and Zgraggen was sentenced to one year in prison.
Bali is cracking down on disrespectful tourists
This is far from an isolated case, unfortunately. Bali suffers from severe over tourism and has been cracking down harder on guests and expats who break local rules or customs.
Just last month, two Dutch nationals living on the island were deported and banned from re-entering the country after accusations tied to a local running club, which locals claimed had rejected their applications while welcoming tourists.
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