Soleiman Faqiri's family demands Ontario government apology following jail death, inquest
CBC
Family members of a man who was in the throes of a mental health crisis when he died at the hands of guards inside an Ontario correctional facility in 2016 say they are still waiting for an apology from provincial officials and for recommendations of a coroner's inquest into his death to be implemented.
Yusuf Faqiri said at a news conference Monday it has been nine years since his brother, Soleiman Faqiri, died and two years since a coroner's inquest deemed his death a homicide and made 57 recommendations to prevent something similar from happening again.
“Not once has the Ontario government reached out to my family to engage with us with respect to this tragedy,” Faqiri said.
“Not once have they spoken to us.”
Soleiman, who suffered from schizoaffective disorder — a combination of schizophrenic and bipolar symptoms — was taken into custody on Dec. 4, 2016, after allegedly stabbing a neighbour during what his family has said was a psychotic episode.
Less than two weeks later, he was dead.
The 30-year-old was awaiting a mental health assessment at the Central East Correctional Centre, near Lindsay, Ont., when he died face down on a cell floor after guards punched and struck him repeatedly, pepper sprayed him twice, covered him with a spit hood and left him shackled.
Speaking at the same news conference Monday, NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam said the province issuing a public apology and acting on the results of the inquest is long overdue.
“His death was a systemic failure of Ontario’s correction and mental health systems,” Wong-Tam said. “No one should have to endure what they have endured.”
When asked about the situation at a separate, unrelated news conference Monday, Premier Doug Ford said that his “heart goes out to the family."
“Anyone passes away, no matter if they’re in a correctional facility or not, no one should lose their life,” Ford said, adding that the province is making sure that anyone working in corrections who doesn’t act professionally will be “held accountable.”
Ford also said the province’s Ministry of the Solicitor General is acting on the inquest’s recommendations already, though he did not provide specifics and then pivoted to talking about how the province plans to build more correctional facilities.
“At the end of the day, stay out of the jails,” Ford said. “Stop breaking the laws and you won’t have anything to worry about.”
Yusuf Faqiri called Ford’s response tone deaf.
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Family members of a man who was in the throes of a mental health crisis when he died at the hands of guards inside an Ontario correctional facility in 2016 say they are still waiting for an apology from provincial officials and for recommendations of a coroner's inquest into his death to be implemented.
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