A coroner’s inquest into the 2016 death of Soleiman Faqiri at a jail in Lindsay, Ont., will now be conducted virtually, the province announced Friday.
Faqiri, 30, died on Dec. 15, 2016, at the Central East Correctional Centre following physical altercations with correctional staff. Investigations revealed Faqiri had been beaten, pepper sprayed, and restrained after being at the jail for 11 days.
Family members have publicly argued that Faqiri did not belong in the jail since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 19.
In October, Dr. Paul Dungey, regional supervising coroner for East Region, had originally announced the inquest would begin Nov. 20 at the Coroner’s Courts in Toronto.
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Now the 15-day inquest will be conducted by video conference, starting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20.
The public can view the live proceedings at this link.
Approximately 20 witnesses are expected to testify. Dr. David Cameron will be the presiding officer. Prabhu Rajan and Julian Roy will be the inquest counsel. An inquest into Faqiri’s death is mandatory under the Coroners Act.
In 2021, a report by Dr. Michael Pollanen, Ontario’s chief forensic pathologist, determined Faqiri’s death “occurred during struggle and restraint by correctional officers.
In August 2022, following an investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said there would be no criminal charges laid against six correctional officers involved in the incident. It followed the initial decision by the Kawartha Lakes Police Service in Lindsay that there were no grounds for criminal charges after their investigation.