Open Letter
Dear Premier Ford,
We are writing today to call on the Ontario government to ensure a fair, transparent, and thorough investigation into the death of former Ontario resident Soleiman Faqiri while in government care.
Mr. Faqiri was being held in temporary custody when he was beaten to death by more than a dozen guards at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario on December 15, 2016.
Suffering from schizophrenia and waiting for a bed in a mental health facility, Mr. Faqiri was held in solitary confinement and was prevented from receiving visits from his family. A coroner’s report found that almost all of the more than 50 signs of recent injury identified on Faqiri’s body were caused by “blunt impact trauma.”
Following the Coroner’s report, a one-year police investigation by the Kawartha Lakes Police Service found no wrongdoing. A second police investigation was called in January of 2019.
Ontarians need answers as to what really happened to Mr. Faqiri, so that such a tragedy never happens again.
We, the undersigned, along with Mr. Faqiri’s family and over 17,000 supporters are calling on the Government of Ontario to ensure an open, thorough, and transparent investigation. Those responsible for Mr. Faqiri’s death must be held fully accountable for their actions.
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Name |
Sector |
Occupation |
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Kim Pate |
Politicians |
Canadian Senator |
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Peter Boehm |
Politicians |
Canadian Senator |
|
Adelina Iftene |
Academics |
Law Professor, Dalhousie University |
|
Constance MacIntosh |
Academics |
Law Professor, Dalhousie University |
|
Dr. Aaron Doyle |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University |
|
Dr. Ameil Joseph |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, McMaster University |
|
Dr. Anne-Marie Singh |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Criminology, Ryerson University |
|
Dr. Aziz Choudry |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University |
|
Dr. Brian Noble |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University |
|
Dr. Idris Elbakri |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Manitoba |
|
Dr. Jason Haslam |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Dalhousie University |
|
Dr. Justin Piché |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Criminology, University of Ottawa |
|
Dr. Katharina Maier |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg |
|
Dr. Lisa Guenther |
Academics |
Queen’s National Scholar in Political Philosophy and Critical Prison Studies, Queen’s University |
|
Dr. Loren King |
Academics |
Associate, Professor, Department of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University |
|
Dr. Mary LeMaître |
Academics |
French Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Winnipeg |
|
Dr. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui |
Academics |
Academic and Mental Health Expert |
|
Dr. Shiri Pasternak |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Criminology, Ryerson University |
|
Dr. Tammy Landau |
Academics |
Chair and Associate Professor, Criminology, Ryerson University |
|
Dr. Todd McCallum |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Department of History, Dalhousie University |
|
Dr. Yaser Haddara |
Academics |
Professor, McMaster University |
|
Dr. Zahir Kolia |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Criminology, Ryerson University |
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El Jones |
Academics |
Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University |
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Faisal Bhabha |
Academics |
Associate Professor, Osgoode Law School, Constitutional and Human Rights Lawyer |
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Jillian Rogin |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law |
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Laura Kwak |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, York University |
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Liam Kennedy |
Academics |
Assistant Professor of Sociology/Criminology, Western University Canada |
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Lisa Kerr |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, Queen’s University, Faculty of Law |
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Martha Paynter |
Academics |
Ph.D Candidate, Dalhousie University |
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Michelle Williams |
Academics |
Law Professor, Dalhousie University |
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Rachel da Silva Gorman |
Academics |
Associate Professor, York University |
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Sheila Wildeman |
Academics |
Law Professor, Dalhousie University |
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Tess Sheldon |
Academics |
Assistant Professor, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law |
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Monia Mazigh, Ph.D |
Authors |
Author and Activist |
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Robyn Maynard |
Authors |
Author |
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Adeena Niazi |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director, Afghan Women’s Organization |
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Ahmad Attia |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Human Rights Activist |
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Aminah Sheikh |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Union Organizer, COPE Ontario |
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Arif Zia |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director (DawaNet) |
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Bernie M. Farber |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Human rights consultant |
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Chris Summerville |
Community Leaders and Activists |
CEO, Schizophrenia Society of Canada |
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Cynthia Levine-Rasky, PhD |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Sociologist |
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Desmond Cole |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Journalist and Human Rights Advocate |
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Devon Spier |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Rabbinical Student |
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Farhat Rehman |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Prisoner Advocate |
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Hamid Slimi |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Professor/Imam |
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Harsha Walia |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director, BC Civil Liberties Association |
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Ibrahim Hindy |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Imam |
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Kate Johnson |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Chaplain, Queen’s University |
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Maleeha Hamid |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Social Worker |
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Mona N. Rahman, PhD |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Education Coordinator, Islamic Society of Kingston |
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Muneeb Nasir |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Imam |
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Mustafa Farooq |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director, National Council of Canadian Muslims |
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Nadia Hasan |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Deputy Director, National Council of Canadian Muslims |
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Ramzy Ajem |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Teacher & Chaplain |
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Rashid Mohamed |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Imam |
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Sarah Jama |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Human Rights and Disability Advocate |
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Shahina Siddiqui |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director, Islamic Social Services Association |
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Sikander Z Hashmi |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Imam |
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Taha Ghayyur |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Not-for-profit management |
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Tarek Ibrahim |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Human Rights Activist |
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Yasin Dwyer |
Community Leaders and Activists |
Executive Director, Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto and Former Federal Prison Chaplain |
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Abdul Basit Khan |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Asif Quadir |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Asma Bala |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Christine Lund |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Ebad Rahman |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Greg Sacks |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Hussein Hamdani |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Hussein Hamdani |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Ibrahim Danial |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Ibrahim Danial |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Joshua Bearden |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Kofi Achampong |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Mihad Fahmy |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Muneeza Sheikh |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Mustafa Jilani |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Nafisah Chaudhry |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Naseem Mithoowani |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Natalka Falcomer |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Paul Champ |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Sameer Akhtar |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Savannah Gentile |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Tess Sheldon |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Yusuf Buttar |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Zoya Alam |
Lawyers |
Lawyer |
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Dr. Ahmed Mian |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Baseer Khan |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Basel Bari |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Durya Ali |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Hany Soliman |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Muhammad Munshi |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Nelab Alingary-Akbari |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Raza Khan |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Ryhana Dawood |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Sohail Makhdoom |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Tarek Loubani |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Umair Minhas |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr. Yahia Mohammad |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Ahmed farooq |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Aleem Hussain |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Faiz Malam |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Fariha Khan |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Muhammad Ali Furqan |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Nabiha Islam |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Sana Rahman |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Sumairah Syed |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Dr.Uzma Chaudhry |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Farhan Siddiqui |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Mary O’Connor |
Physicians |
Physician |
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Shehla Sadiq |
Physicians |
Physician |