PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Among the many questions raised by Soleiman Faqiri's death in jail is why, as Toronto Star Staff Reporter Ben Cohen reported on August 23, 2022 - in a story headed, "‘A gross miscarriage of justice’: Soleiman Faqiri’s family devastated by OPP decision not to lay criminal charges in 2016 jail death (Link below) - "For the third time, police have decided not to lay charges in the 2016 death of Soleiman Faqiri, a mentally ill man in crisis who was severely beaten, restrained and pepper-sprayed by correctional officers in an Ontario jail." A Cover-up for police violence taking a metal-ill presser's life? We will hopefully find the answer to this haunting question in the inquest that began in Toronto yesterday. The inquest, triggered by Dr. Michael Pollanen, Ontario's Chief Forensic Pathologist, is expected to last for several weeks, I will be dropping in on developments from time to time.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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BACKGROUND: (Canada Press Reporter Liam Casey: August 10, 2021);..."A mentally ill man died in an Ontario jail because he was beaten and restrained by guards while clearly in crisis, the province's chief forensic pathologist has found. In a report released Tuesday, Dr. Michael Pollanen said Soleiman Faqiri died on Dec. 15, 2016, after being beaten, pepper sprayed and restrained face-down in a segregation cell at the Central East Correctional Facility in Lindsay, Ont. The coroner's office had previously concluded Faqiri's cause of death was “unascertainable” but Pollanen reexamined what happened to help inform an upcoming inquest. “The eyewitness accounts and the numerous injuries present on the body at autopsy indicate a violent struggle occurred in the segregation cell,” Pollanen wrote. “The injuries were a significant contributing factor in death.” Faqiri lived with schizophrenia and his symptoms worsened significantly during his 11 days in the jail, the report said, noting that the 30-year-old was set to be moved to a psychiatric facility for help. He never made it there. His family, who has been seeking answers for five years, said Pollaen's findings now leave no doubt about what happened."
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STORY: "Coroner's inquest continues for mentally ill man who died in jail," by Canadian Press Reporter Paola Loriggio, published by The Toronto Star, on November 21, 2023.
SUB-HEADING: "Coroner's inquest continues for Soleiman Faqiri."
GIST: "In the 11 days before Soleiman Faqiri's death, family members tried to visit him four times, making the hour-long drive to the Ontario jail where he was being held, his brother said.
Yusuf Faqiri said he and another brother drove to the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., once, while their parents went three times.
But each time – including on Dec. 14, 2016, a day before Soleiman Faqiri died – they were told they couldn't see him because he was too unwell, a coroner's inquest into his death has heard.
"We did not know, we had no idea – no idea – what was going on inside," Yusuf Faqiri said in an interview. "You're looking at a family that was very proactive, that was hoping to give him the best treatment ... and in the end, what happened?
"What more can a family do?" he said. "It's not like my family forgot about Solei, you know. That's the painful part."
Soleiman Faqiri, 30, had a history of schizoaffective disorder, which combines features of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a diagnosis he received at age 19 after a car crash, the inquest has heard.
He was detained at the facility after he was charged with aggravated assault, assault and threatening death in an incident that occurred while he was experiencing a mental-health crisis.
He died in his cell less than two weeks later.
The coroner's inquest began this week and is expected to last 15 days, ending shortly before the seventh anniversary of Faqiri's death.
On Tuesday, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Howard Sapers, the former correctional investigator of Canada, and another witness who will share her lived experience in custody.
On Monday, the inquest heard an agreed statement of facts laying out some key events that took place in the lead up to Faqiri's death.
In that time, the inquest heard, Faqiri saw the institution's physician and was referred to a psychiatrist, but never saw a psychiatrist, nor did he take all the doses of the medication he was prescribed.
The physician also decided not to send Faqiri to a hospital for a psychiatric assessment or as an emergency patient, it heard.
His condition worsened, and his behaviour grew increasingly concerning, the inquest heard. At one point, he was smearing feces on himself.
His brother and a nurse testified in court to support an order that he undergo an assessment to determine his fitness to stand trial, the statement said. A video assessment was scheduled, but Faqiri was deemed too unwell to attend, it said.
On the day he died, Faqiri was transferred to a new cell and taken to a secure shower, the inquest heard. As he was being led, handcuffed and in his boxers, from the shower to his cell, several corrections officers said he spat at the sergeant who was holding his handcuffs, according to the statement.
The sergeant responded by slapping Faqiri, who then hunched in a ball, the statement said. He was then subjected to "various incidents of use of force" as the officers pushed him to his cell, including being struck in the head area, sprayed in the face with pepper spray foam and restrained face down on the ground, it said.
At some point, his legs were shackled and officers put a spit hood, a covering meant to prevent someone from spitting, on him, the statement said.
He was found to be unresponsive when officers removed the spit hood, the statement said.
Yusuf Faqiri said his family has long called for an inquest, but the evidence remains difficult to hear and watch.
"We loved him," he said.
"This fight is for Solei but it's for so many other Canadians ... because I truly in my heart don't want another mother or brother to go through what we went through."
The entire story can be read at:
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/47049136857587929
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices.
Lawyer Radha Natarajan;
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater’s attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, “Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it’s the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.
