On Monday, the Kawartha Lakes Police Services (KLPS) informed the Faqiri family through an email that charges would not be filed. Little information was provided, yet over the last two days the Faqiri family has been learning more and more about the Police’s decision as the KLPS has tried to justify its conclusions in media interviews.
However, the added information has only made the situation worse as no substantial details have been added to the original KLPS statement, but more questions and concerns have been raised. The KLPS officer has come close to suggesting that the 50 bruises discovered on Soleiman’s body by the Coroner, that he suffered while cuffed at his wrists and ankles, were legally justified.
In response the family’s criminal lawyer, Edward Marrocco, explained that “if someone wants to take the position that this was justifiable uses of force they are entitled to do that – at a trial.”
The KLPS concluded that the injuries Soleiman was subjected to were not the cause of his death, yet they could not ascertain the actual cause of death. Morrocco added in an interview with CBC that “the Sergeant’s summary of the postmortem report indicating that these injuries did not cause the death is not a fair representation of the what the report says. These injuries, in it of themselves, are not capable of causing the death but collectively we don’t know what affect they may have had on Soleiman’s body…He died as a result of this beating! We just don’t know what part of his body broke.”
In comparison to other criminal investigations, the lawyers have expressed that they are used to far more transparency from other police services. The lawyers have called on the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct the interview independently and impartially. “We hope if another police service took this and looked at it they would at least explain to the family how they reached their decision,” said the family’s lawyer, Edward Marrocco.
“There will certainly be a reinvestigation in the event an inquest is called, every step that the Kawartha Police Services has taken will be reinvestigated and relooked at under a microscope,” added Marrocco.
Supporters have been sending letters to the Coroner’s office asking for intervention and an immediate inquest.
For Interviews Please Contact justiceforsoli@gmail.com.
Yusuf Faqiri – Soleiman Faqiri’s brother and spokesperson for the family.
Nader Hasan – Faqiri family lawyer and partner at Stockwoods LLP. He practises criminal, regulatory and constitutional law.
Edward Morrocco – Faqiri family lawyer from Stockwoods LLP and practices criminal, civil and administrative litigation as well as public inquests and inquiries.
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