Soleiman Faqiri's family, civil rights watchdog demand Ford government act on inquest recommendations

John Rieti · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Soleiman Faqiri's household and 36 Canadian salient civic groups are demanding Monday the Ontario authorities apologize for his decease and commencement acting connected the recommendations of a coroner's inquest.

Yusuf Faqiri, Soleiman's brother, said the Ford authorities hasn't implemented a azygous proposal from a 2023 coroner's inquest that deemed Soleiman's decease a homicide and made 57 recommendations to forestall thing akin from happening again.

Faqiri said helium believes the authorities wants Soleiman's communicative to beryllium forgotten. His family, helium said, has vowed to not fto that hap due to the fact that what happened to Soleiman — who died astatine the hands of aggregate guards wrong a provincially-run correctional installation — could hap to immoderate Canadian suffering from a intelligence wellness crisis.

"This is simply a beingness and decease issue," helium told CBC Toronto. 

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has written a letter, cosigned by the leaders of 35 civic organizations from crossed the country, successful enactment of the Faqiri family's telephone for an apology. The usage of unit that led to Faqiri's death, it said, was "unjustified."

The letter, addressed Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, is besides seeking an update connected wherefore the authorities hasn't struck a committee to instrumentality recommendations from the Faqiri inquest, and wherefore it inactive hasn't created a provincial corrections inspectorate that could look into idiosyncratic and systemic complaints successful correctional facilities.

The state has said it is reviewing the inquest's recommendations — which are nonbinding — but hasn't publically announced immoderate changes stemming from it.

"Individuals surviving with important intelligence wellness conditions successful custody are immoderate of the astir susceptible radical successful our province," Shakir Rahim, the manager of the CCLA's transgression justness programme said successful the letter.

The missive is cosigned by groups including, but not constricted to: the John Howard Society of Ontario, The Empowerment Council, the Ontario Association of Social Workers and the Black Legal Action Centre. 

Asked to respond to the CCLA letter, Dakota Moniz, a spokesperson for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, said what happened to Soleiman Faqiri "is a tragedy." 

"Our thoughts are with his household and each those who person mislaid loved ones successful the correctional system," Moniz said successful an email Sunday. 

Moniz went connected to accidental the Progressive Conservative authorities has made grounds investments in the province's corrections system, including spending millions to update and physique caller facilities and establishing a caller wellness services part to present intelligence wellness and addictions enactment for those successful custody. 

The email does not accidental whether the state volition apologize to Faqiri's household oregon however galore of the 57 recommendations from the coroner's bureau person been completed. 

Inquest revealed usage of force, argumentation breaches successful Faqiri's death

The long-awaited inquest into Faqiri's decease took spot successful precocious 2023 and pulled backmost the curtain connected what was described to jurors arsenic a breached system, plagued by a deficiency of grooming and staff, tensions astir antithetic layers of absorption and an overreliance connected segregation.

WATCH | CBC Toronto's Shanifa Nasser breaks down what the nationalist learned from the coroner's inquest: 

Faqiri, who suffered from schizoaffective upset — a operation of schizophrenic and bipolar symptoms — was taken into custody connected Dec. 4, 2016, aft allegedly stabbing a neighbour during what his household has said was a psychotic episode. 

Less than 2 weeks later, helium was dead. 

The 30-year-old was awaiting a intelligence wellness appraisal astatine the Central East Correctional Centre, adjacent Lindsay, Ont., erstwhile helium died look down connected a compartment level aft guards punched and struck him repeatedly, capsicum sprayed him twice, covered him with a spit hood and near him shackled.

Despite the coroner's inquest deeming his decease a homicide and uncovering guards carried retired 60 argumentation breaches successful transportation with his death, nary transgression charges person been laid. 

All of the 57 recommendations made by coroner's assemblage are aimed astatine Ontario government. The apical 5 recommendations include: 

• Develop a nationalist presumption connection wrong 60 days recognizing that jails are not the due situation for those with important intelligence wellness issues.
• Take contiguous steps to marque definite anyone suffering an acute intelligence wellness situation successful custody is admitted to infirmary for appraisal and, wherever appropriate, treatment.
• Adopt a rule of equivalence truthful that those successful custody person adjacent prime wellness attraction arsenic they would outside.
• Develop a committee to guarantee the inquest's recommendations are decently considered and immoderate responses afloat reported on.
• Establish an autarkic provincial corrections inspectorate.