A foreign citizen from Denmark, Lars Christensen, has been freed from Class IIB Prison Singaraja, Bali.
He was released Friday 26th November and was immediately deported.
Lars was found guilty by a panel of judges at the Buleleng District Court for violating article 156A of the Criminal Code on blasphemy and was sentenced to seven months.
During his detention in prison, Lars behaved well and the coaching process provided was the same as for other inmates. While waiting for the deportation process, Lars was temporarily detained at the Immigration Detention Centre of the Singaraja Immigration Office.
The case against Lars stems from a report by his ex-wife, Luh Sukarsih. Lars reportedly vandalised a pelinggih, a symbol of Hinduism, in his yard in 2019. In the trial, Lars admitted that he did not know that the shrine is a sacred place, a symbol of Hinduism.
He demolished the symbol believing that it had been used by his wife to create a black magic spell on him. Lars has since apologised for his actions and returned the pelinggih to its original state.