She posted a formal apology following the uproar
A Russian influencer has recently been deported from Bali after posing naked under a sacred tree known locally as kayu putih.
Instagram star Alina Fazleeva, also known as Alina Yoga, shared naked images of herself on social media, where Balinese entrepreneur Niluh Djelantik found them.
Djelantik contacted the local authorities, as Alina had posed on a 700-year-old weeping paperbark tree considered sacred by the local communities. While the photos did conform to Facebook’s policy, her breasts and bottom are pressed into the tree’s roots.
The tree is situated at the Babakan Temple in the regency of Tabanan.
After the local uproar, Alina deleted the images and posted an apology on May 4.
The influencer was also required to take part in a cleansing ceremony, which she again posted online alongside the caption: “I apologise to all Balinese and Indonesian people, I regret my actions.”
“I’m so embarrassed, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, absolutely no knowledge of this place,” she continued. “I just prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologise.”
Still, social media users have chimed in, and one user wrote: “Today there are so many naive and poor travellers. They travel so badly and don’t figure out the best and creative ways to enjoy their freedom, they just do the same stuff they want to do back home.”
Alina Fazleeva will be deported from Indonesia for this nude photo on a 700-year-old banyan tree at a temple in Tabanan district of Bali. pic.twitter.com/A5pHRXtscI
— Colorful Stories (@ColorfulFiction) May 7, 2022
Another said: “People have to stop doing things for likes on social media… If she really wanted a picture in such a manner she should have kept the picture private for her personal memories… Sharing it wasn’t necessary and now she is caught up with authorities…”
“Both of them are proven to have carried out activities that endanger public order and do not respect the local norms,” said Bali immigration chief Jamaruli Manihuruk. “So, they will be sanctioned with deportation.”
The couple will also be banned from the country for a minimum of six months.
