Yusuf Faqiri, the brother of Soleiman Faqiri, along with 36 prominent Canadian civic organizations, is calling on the Ontario government to issue an apology for Soleiman’s death and take action based on the recommendations of a coroner’s inquest. The inquest, conducted in 2023, classified Soleiman’s death as a homicide and proposed 57 measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, none of which have been implemented by the Ford government.
Yusuf Faqiri expressed concern that the government may be attempting to erase Soleiman’s story from public memory. He emphasized the importance of remembering Soleiman’s tragic death at the hands of multiple guards in a provincial correctional facility as a cautionary tale for any Canadian experiencing a mental health crisis.
During a news conference on Monday, Yusuf Faqiri criticized the government’s lack of response to the inquest recommendations, which he believes could be instrumental in reforming the corrections system. Soleiman, who suffered from schizoaffective disorder, was detained in December 2016 following an incident where he allegedly harmed a neighbor during a psychotic episode. Sadly, less than two weeks later, he passed away while in custody at the Central East Correctional Centre after being subjected to physical violence and neglect by the guards.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and 35 other civic organizations have joined forces to support the Faqiri family’s demand for an apology from the government. The use of excessive force leading to Soleiman’s death was deemed unjustified by the CCLA. The letter addressed to Solicitor General Michael Kerzner also questions the delay in establishing a committee to enact the inquest recommendations and the failure to create a provincial corrections inspectorate for overseeing complaints within correctional facilities.
The province has indicated that it is evaluating the recommendations from the inquest but has not disclosed any actions taken as a result. Despite eight years passing since Soleiman’s tragic demise, the provincial government has not reached out to offer an apology to his family. Yusuf Faqiri urged Premier Ford to prioritize the protection of vulnerable individuals struggling with mental health issues, emphasizing that mental illness transcends political divides and is a matter of life and death.
The CCLA’s criminal justice program director, Shakir Rahim, highlighted the vulnerability of individuals with mental health conditions in custody and criticized the crisis within Ontario’s prisons for undermining their basic human dignity. In response to the CCLA’s concerns, a spokesperson for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner acknowledged the tragedy of Soleiman Faqiri’s death and mentioned the government’s substantial investments in enhancing the corrections system, including mental health support services for inmates.
The long-awaited inquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s death, held in late 2023, exposed systemic issues within the corrections system, such as inadequate training, staff shortages, and overreliance on segregation. Despite the inquest’s findings of policy breaches and excessive use of force leading to Soleiman’s death, no criminal charges have been filed. The coroner’s jury issued 57 recommendations directed at the Ontario government, with key proposals including recognizing jails as unsuitable for individuals with significant mental health issues, ensuring prompt hospitalization for those in acute mental health crises, providing equivalent healthcare for inmates, establishing a committee to oversee inquest responses, and setting up an independent provincial corrections inspectorate.