SOLEIMAN AND KENNETH WERE BOTH MURDERED.
Ken’s killers were teenaged girls. They were charged.
Soli’s killers were uniformed jail guards. They’re free!
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?
It’s been just over a year since the last entry here questioned Ontario’s justification for the murder of Soleiman Faqiri by its own employees. Ontario’s solicitor general needed a reminder that this is not going away.
March 9, 2025
The Honourable Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General,
Office of the Solicitor General,
Toronto, ON M7A 1Y6
Re: Soleiman Faqiri
Minister Kerzner:
Kenneth Lee, a 59-year-old temporarily homeless man on Toronto’s streets, was swarmed and killed in December of 2022 by 8 girls, ages 13 to 16. All were arrested and charged. The Court has rendered judgements to some of the accused; some are pending. There’s no question all the teenagers were considered culpable and there was no hesitation in bringing the charges.
Soleiman Faqiri, a 30-year-old schizophrenic in distress, was swarmed and killed by a group of jail guards at Lindsay’s Central East Correctional Centre in December of 2016. Referencing my January 29, 2024, letter to you, the most important question in determining what lead to Soleiman’s death was and still is why were guards in his cell? It should offend you as the province’s solicitor general, as it does me, that no one seems to want to ask the question.
An inquest late in 2023 ruled Soleiman’s death a homicide and made 57 recommendations which the Faqiri family insists have been basically ignored. The two most important to Yusuf Faqiri, Soleiman’s eldest brother and leader of the Justice for Soli movement, in one instance gave Ontario 60 days to acknowledge that jails are not appropriate for persons with mental health challenges. The other was the adoption of an independent (at arm’s length) inspectorate with investigative powers to hold the system accountable. Not a whisper from Ontario on either.
So, Ontario is brushing off the recommendations of this inquest as it has with previous inquests. Still, what’s most important is why the killers of Soleiman Faqiri have not been charged? That’s the first question looking for an honest answer. That answer won’t be forthcoming. Soleiman’s death under these circumstances wasn’t the first. It isn’t the last. More will come.
A few years ago, an Ontario judge cautioned a plaintiff bringing an action against our federal prison industry. “Be careful,” he said. “They protect their own.”
Ontario, too?
The 8th annual vigil for Soleiman on December 15th, the anniversary of his death, included a range of speakers, supporters such as Senator Kim Pate, MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP Sara James, and Imam Yasin Dwyer, along with several community activists.
A private member’s bill intending to stop the criminalization of mental health is co-sponsored by Kristyn Wong-Tam. The Justice for Soli Act (Bill 196) died on the order paper after its first reading when the Ontario legislature was prorogued for an election. It will be re-tabled when the House is recalled. Private members bills usually fail, but win or lose, this will help keep Soleiman’s name current.
The government’s settlement with the family was intended to buy silence and there may be provisions which inhibit speech and action. ‘Please go away’ is the message from Queen’s Park. Nonetheless, the Faqiri family and its followers will continue to insist that Ontario apologize for its negligence and the guards who killed Soleiman must be held criminally accountable.
How did this happen?
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