Reynaldo Llaquita was a young man, just 19 years old. He was not a demonstrator. However, his father, Mario Llaquita, believes that it is the right of all demonstrators to raise their voices in protest. Reynaldo was killed by a stray bullet that is believed to be a 7.62 caliber. A subsonic caliber that has the ability to dismember. Reynaldo, along with others killed, have been labeled as “terrorists” by the Peruvian government and media. “They say we are terrorists, we are not. That is a lie. What the President says is false – terrorists, vandals – we are not like that. We are humble people. It is really very wrong, that is what other countries are saying. We are not that, we are not terrorists,” says his father Mario.
Interview by Ingrid Sanchez and photography by Manuel Ortiz from the series “Peru Resists,” a work by Peninsula 360 Press and Global Exchange.
Reynaldo Speech: Mario Llaquita, father of Reynaldo Llaquita.