LGBTQ Activists in Peru Demand Autopsy for Peruvian Transgender Man Who Died in Indonesia

A 32-year-old Peruvian transgender man, who was detained in Indonesia, died earlier last month. His body is expected to be sent back to Peru.

LGBTQ activists are demanding that an autopsy be done, as they are afraid he may have been physically abused by Indonesian authorities.

The transgender man was identified as Rodrigo Ventocilla, a Harvard University graduate student. He went to Bali, Indonesia for a honeymoon with his husband, Sebastian Marallano.

However, both of them were detained on August 6, shortly after arriving at Bali's airport separately. Indonesian officials denied they had any involvement in Ventocilla's death. His body was already taken from Indonesia and is expected to arrive in Lima, Peru soon.

Transgender Man's Family in Peru Believes Victim Was Tortured by Indonesian Officials

Luzmo Henriquez, a representative for Rodrigo Ventocilla's family, recently told Associated Press that Ventocilla was discriminated against and detained because of his gender identity.

According to Henríquez, his appearance did not match what was written in his document, making him a suspect for Indonesian authorities.

Henriquez claimed that Ventocilla was extorted in Bali and later tortured, leading to his death. However, Bali police denied those claims, saying that "everything went according to standard operation."

Indonesian officials noted that customs officers found a package of brownies with Ventocilla that may have contained cannabis. They turned this over to the police soon after.

According to BBC, the family claimed that Bali police asked them for "exorbitant sums of money" to release the two men. Bali police have not yet responded to this allegation.

Both men were transferred to a hospital on August 9. However, Ventocilla, who was moved to another hospital, died on August 11.

Mom of Transgender Man Rodrigo Ventocilla Speaks Out

Rodrigo Ventocilla's mother, Ana Ventocilla, spoke out about her son to Harvard University's publication, the Harvard Crimson. She said her son and her son-in-law "were subjected to "physical and psychological violence."

She noted that what happened to her son was "very painful," and there was evidence of torture. She added that they wanted to clear Ventocilla's name.

The family has criticized the Peruvian consulate in Indonesia, noting that they did not provide "timely attention" to the issue. They also claimed that the consulate hindered the family's request for help.

"The first communication was really aggravating and humiliating for us," said Ana.

She added that Julio Eduardo Tenorio Pereyra, head of consular services for the Peruvian Embassy in Indonesia, refused to fly to Bali from Jakarta, even with her son's health already deteriorating.

The consul reportedly told family members they still needed to submit paperwork before he could travel to Bali. Tenorio eventually travelled to Bali on August 11, but he was too late.

The mother also claimed he did not even give a single "sorry" for her son's death.

LGBTQ activists protested in front of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry last week, echoing Ana's cries that the Peruvian government did little to prevent her son's death. They also demanded an autopsy to find out what really happened to the transgender man.

On Thursday, prosecutors in Peru said they had opened an investigation into the death of Ventocilla. Peru's Public Ministry said the investigation by prosecutors specializing in human rights will include an autopsy on Ventocilla.

It will also look into allegations that he suffered torture at the hands of two cops and that Peru's consul in Jakarta did not perform his duties in protecting him.

The probe will also study allegations that Ventocilla's Peruvian husband was also tortured. Peru can reportedly assert jurisdiction in an alleged torture case even if it happened in another country.

Indonesia and Peru are among the more than 150 countries that signed the United Nations Convention against Torture.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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