Bali police arrest Swiss citizen over Nyepi insult post

Head of the Bali Police Public Relations Division, Senior Commissioner Ariasandy, said Monday that the case stemmed from a social media post that drew widespread public attention.

On Friday, March 20, the police discovered a post on the Instagram account @luzzysun.

“In the post, the account owner wrote insulting remarks about Nyepi Day,” Ariasandy said.

Officers then identified the account owner as Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, a Swiss citizen.

At around 8:30 p.m., officers found him at the residence of a Balinese public figure, Ni Luh Djelantik, in Tumbak Bayuh, Mengwi, Badung.

Upon Ni Luh Djelantik’s request, the foreign national was then taken to the Bali Regional Police Cyber Crimes Directorate for further questioning.

The following day, Ni Luh Djelantik officially reported the incident to the Bali Regional Police with report number LP/B/258/III/2026/SPKT/POLDA BALI.

The case was then moved to the investigation stage, and Luzian Andrin Zgraggen was named a suspect and arrested on the same day.

He has been charged under Article 301(1) of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code, which regulates the dissemination of content containing elements of religious hatred through information technology.

Police said the elements of the alleged offense had been met, including the legal subject, the act of dissemination via social media, and content deemed to incite hatred against a religious group.

Investigators are continuing the legal process by issuing a Notice of Commencement of Investigation (SPDP), seizing evidence including the suspect’s mobile phone, and questioning witnesses to strengthen the case.

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Translator: Rolandus Nampu, Resinta Sulistiyandari