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Instagrammer facing jail for posing naked on sacred tree says she's sorry

Instagrammer facing jail for posing naked on sacred tree says she's sorry
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An Instagrammer could be facing jail time after posing naked beneath a sacred tree.

A Russian yoga influencer with 16,000 followers, called Alina, was in Bali in Indonesia when she attracted controversy in one of her posts.

Due to the country’s strict Information and Electronic Transactions Act (ITE), Alina could face a £55,000 fine or up to six years in jail for ‘spreading pornography’.

Alina has now apologised after being reported to law enforcement officials by entrepreneur Niluh Djelantik, The Sun reports.

The pictures have also been taken down from her page

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The tree in question is called kayu putih, can be found at the Babakan Temple in Tabanan and dates back to 700 years ago.

Djelantik took action after the naked photoshoot, posting the image on her own account and calling on followers to share pictures of Alina with local police.

Alina has 30,000 followers on YouTubeAlina Yoga

“[Those] who follow Alina's account, please send photos of her to Mbok for Mbok to hand over to the authorities. Thank you,” she wrote, in a translated message.

“Since this morning, Mbok Niluh has communicated with the leadership of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Bali Immigration Leader and the Bali Police,” she later updated fans.

“The whereabouts of this woman is being investigated by the Immigration Office.”

Alina later apologised and said she was unaware of the sacred nature of the tree before posting the shoot.

She wrote: “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.”

The yoga influencer landed herself in hot waterCreative Commons

"I just prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologise.”

In another message, she posted a picture of herself praying with the caption: “I appeal to my friends and all the guests of Bali. I unknowingly made a big mistake for which I regret and I want to tell you so that you don't repeat it.

“There are a lot of sacred places in Bali and not all of them have information signs about it, as in my case. And it is very important to treat these places and traditions with respect."

She added: “And first it is important to find out if it is possible to take photos or videos in this place. I love Bali with all my heart and once again I apologise to all residents of Bali and ask for forgiveness!”

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