TikToker in Indonesia jailed for two years after posting pork video
Topics: World News, TikTok, Food and Drink, Social Media
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/ @lilumukerji
Topics: World News, TikTok, Food and Drink, Social Media
A TikToker has been sentenced to two years in jail in Indonesia after uploading a video of her eating pork.
In March, TikTok lifestyle influencer Lina Lutfiawati posted a video of herself to the platform which violated Indonesia's strict blasphemy laws.
The 33-year-old self-identified Muslim has since been found guilty of 'inciting hatred' against religious people and groups, leading her to receive a two-year jail sentence and hefty fine.
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As per Amnesty International's document on blasphemy laws, Indonesia has two articles in its criminal code relating to such profanity.
The document explains: "The blasphemy provisions in Articles 156 and 156(a) of the Criminal Code criminalise 'any person who in public deliberately expresses his/her feelings or engages in actions that in principle is hostile and considered as abuse or defamation of a religion embraced in Indonesia'."
But what did Lufiawati do which was considered abuse or defamation of a religion?
In March, the TikToker - who has over two million followers on the platform - was travelling in Bali and uploaded a video of her eating pork skin, despite pork being haram in Islam. Muslims banned from consuming it by the Quran.
Lutfiawati - known as Lina Mukherjee on TikTok, the name a result of her love of Bollywood movies - said she wanted to try the pork out of curiosity.
Before she popped the food in her mouth, Lutfiawati said, 'Bismillah'. The Arabic phrase means: "In the name of God."
Lutifiawati received immense backlash online over the recording - Bali containing a majority Hindu population - and one TikTok user even reported her to the police for 'knowingly eating pork as a Muslim'.
However, people on Indonesian social media have reportedly been left more divided over the result of Lutifiawati being sentenced to two years in prison - some pointing out people found guilty of corruption have received lesser sentences.
On top of her two-year prison sentence, Lutifiawati has been ordered to pay a $16,245 fine (£13,155) and if she fails to pay it, she could be subject to an additional three months in jail.
On local news station MetroTV, Lutifiawati said: "I know that I am wrong but I did not expect this punishment."