Harvard student dies of police brutality over cannabis arrest in Bali

Rodrigo Ventocilla Ventosilla, 32, a Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) graduate student from Peru, died in police custody at a hospital in Denpasar, Indonesia, on August 11 under what the family is calling suspicious circumstances. Ventosilla, a trans man, was arrested for possession of cannabis while traveling to Bali to celebrate his honeymoon.

The HKS and trans communities are asking for help to highlight the injustice and human rights abuses that allegedly took place in Bali last month, with allegations of police brutality and torture.

Police took Ventocilla to Bhayangkara Hospital after he suffered from stomach pains and vomiting, according to Radar Bali. But his condition worsened and he was taken to Sanglah Central General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 3:10 p.m. on August 11

HKS Dean Douglas Elmendorf and HKS Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs and Student Affairs Debra E. “Debbie” Isaacson announced Ventocilla’s death to schoolmates and friends on August 12.

Witnesses claim it was a case of police brutality and say the official police story is nonsense. They are calling for an independent investigation into what is happening in Bali. Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, head of public relations for the Bali Police, alleges Ventocilla used more undisclosed drugs in prison on August 8, which led to his death.

A statement from the families of Ventocilla and his wife Sebastián Marallano called on the “Peruvian judicial system to properly investigate Rodrigo and Sebastian’s human rights abuses and to guarantee truth, justice and redress.”

Marallano flew to Bali on a separate flight but was arrested by police without charge after trying to help Ventocilla, the family said. Marallano – who had nothing to do with the cannabis allegations – was also “taken to hospital” days after his arrest by police.

“We received a statement from Rodrigo’s family yesterday describing the extremely disturbing circumstances surrounding Rodrigo’s death – a statement speaking about his arrest and detention shortly before his death and which emphasizes his rights as a transgender man,” Elmendorf wrote in an August 24 statement.

“The testimony of Rodrigo’s family raises very serious questions that deserve clear and precise answers. The Harvard Kennedy School supports the family’s call for an immediate and thorough investigation and the release of all relevant information, and the school stands behind all of Rodrigo’s friends and colleagues and the LGBTQ+ community.”

Ventocilla was a co-founder of the Peruvian organization Diversidades Trans Masculinas, which campaigns for the rights of trans people. He pursued a master’s degree in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School.

ASEAN SOGIE Caucus deeply regret the death of Rodrigo, a Peruvian trans rights activist, while in arbitrary police detention in Bali, Indonesia. And we honor the memory of Rodrigo, a dedicated trans rights activist and founder of Diversidades Trans Masculinas (DTM). pic.twitter.com/ULsIVzXF6Q

— ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (@ASEANSOGIE) August 26, 2022

The family is asking the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct an investigation into the actions of Julio Eduardo Tenorio Pereyra, head of consular services at the Peruvian embassy in Indonesia.

It’s just the latest cannabis-related crime in Bali, where penalties don’t seem to match the crime by Western standards. A Brazilian student faces 15 years after he was caught with 9.1 grams of cannabis at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Elmendorf and Isaacson said HKS will hold a memorial service to commemorate Ventocilla.