Bali Police Denies Allegations Of Violence Against Peruvian Citizen Rodrigo Harvard Kennedy School Student Who Dies At Sanglah Hospital

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

DENPASAR - The Bali Police has dismissed accusations by posting the @diversidadestm account that the police in Bali carried out acts of kidnapping, extortion, and torture of a foreign citizen (WNA) from Peru, Rodrigo Ventocilla (32).

The Harvard Kennedy School student died at the Sanglah Central General Hospital (RSUP), Denpasar, Bali.

The foreigner is a Bali Police detainee with a marijuana-type case. Rodrigo became ill and was rushed to Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, and was declared dead on Thursday, August 11.

"(The accusation) is not true and does not exist. The Head of the Regional Police also conveyed to convey the untruth (allegation)", said Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police Commissioner Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, Thursday, August 25.

The police said the allegations of violence were carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) abroad. Commissioner Bayu confirmed that Peruvian citizen Rodrigo when he was handed over to the Bali Police by Customs and Excise Ngurah Rai had experienced pain and nausea and was taken to the hospital.

"The person concerned was handed over by Customs to the Bali Police, and that night he was nauseous and vomited, then he was taken to Bhayangkara Hospital and referred to Sanglah Hospital and died", he said.

Rodrigo is known to have come with his partner Sebastian Marallano to Bali. But only Rodrigo was arrested for carrying marijuana.

"So the two of them are like a couple, both are women. Yes, they were handed over (Bali Police) but the other (Sebastian Marallano) followed him, only accompanying the point because (detained) he went along. But after some time he returned to his country (to Peru)", he said.

The Bali Police confirmed that Commissioner Bayu had handled Peruvian citizen Rodigro according to the SOP.

From the information gathered, Rodrigo Ventocilla is a transgender man and a prominent transgender rights activist. At Harvard Kennedy School, he pursued a master's degree in public administration in International development as a member of the school's class of 2023.