Russian social media star Alina Fazleeva won’t be allowed to take a vacation to Bali anytime soon as she has been banned from the Indonesian province.
The influencer's husband, Andrey Fazleev, has also been banned from Bali. This comes after Fazleeva posted a photograph of herself posing naked under a 700-year-old sacred banyan tree at a temple compound, reported New York Post. In the photo that angered the public, she pushed her breasts against the bark while she looked over her shoulder, according to Daily Star.
Niluh Djelantik, a Balinese entrepreneur, saw the racy image and reported her to local police. The snapshot, which has been deleted, was posted on May 1. The couple were deported on May 6.
Under Indonesia's laws, if the Russian influencer is found guilty, she faces a fine of 78,000 pounds ($95,186.91) and six years in jail. Cops declined to charge her with the crime, but turned her case over to immigration officials, reported Ground Report. Now, it's been decided that the pair cannot enter the island for at least six months.
Bali’s chief immigration officer Jamaruli Manihuruk said that the couple have carried out activities that "endangered public order and were disrespectful to the local norms, so they are sanctioned with deportation." He added that their names will be included in an "entry ban list."
The influencer shared two apology posts on social media. One post featured her and her husband praying by the evergreen. It had a caption written in Indonesian, saying that she apologizes to all Balinese and Indonesian people, and that she regrets her actions. She also feels embarrassed, and said that she "didn’t mean to offend you in any way, absolutely no knowledge of this place." She shared that she just "prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologize.”
In another photo, her hands were held up in a prayer position and her eyes were shut. She wrote that she appealed to her friends and all the guests of Bali, and said that she "unknowingly made a big mistake for which I regret and I want to tell you so that you don’t repeat it." She noted that there are a lot of "sacred places in Bali and not all of them have information signs about it, as in my case.” She said that it is very important to treat these "places and traditions with respect," and that first it is important to find out if it is "possible to take photos or videos in this place." She later shared that she and her partner have returned to Moscow.
Last year, Bali deported almost 200 people for several reasons, including violating coronavirus restrictions and disrespecting the nation's traditions and customs.
