Police to Pursue Case Despite Cause of Death
Police will pursue a report claiming that the death of a sex worker was a result of assault despite the medical death certificate saying the victim died from a pre-existing medical condition.
It comes as activists called on the Fiji Police Force to thoroughly investigate the death of a 19-yearold, Setariki Ravato, from Ba late last month.
Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew said the victim, who preferred to be called Esther, died due to complications.
“Medical officials had issued the victim’s death certificate, where the cause of death had been cited as complications arising from his medical condition,” he said.
“We will continue to pursue the allegations of the alleged assault, and gather further statements from medical authorities, to rule out the link between the claims of assault to the victim’s death.” Esther was allegedly assaulted in Ba, and later died at the Aspen Lautoka Hospital.
The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission chairperson Pravesh Sharma said they were concerned and saddened of the loss.
“We are hopeful that alleged perpetrators will face that full brunt of the law,” Mr Sharma said.
“The Commission strongly condemns all forms of violence, homophobic hate crimes and attacks on people on the grounds of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or those who do not conform to the binary socio-cultural gender stereotypes and ‘norms’.”
DIVA for Equality executive director Noelene Nabulivou, who is also a member of the Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) including the LGBTQI+ community in Fiji, is devastated by the action undertaken. “We call for the strongest consequences for those who committed this heinous crime,” Ms Nabulivou said.
“A group of people has taken the life of a 19-year-old, subjecting them to extreme sexualised torture, violence, and indignity. It is way past time we ask ourselves just what kind of society we are, with so much violence and patriarchy in our country.
“Such crimes are not just heinous in and of themselves. They shame all of us in Fiji,” she said. The Acting Commissioner of Police confirmed a report was lodged on March 23 after the victim was admitted at the Lautoka Hospital. “Investigators had gathered information from medical officials at the Lautoka Hospital where it was revealed that the victim was a known patient, who had previously received treatment for a specific medical ailment,” he said.