The CCLA echoes the plea made today by the Faqiri family at Queen’s Park for the Government of Ontario to implement the Faqiri inquest recommendations, addressing abhorrent conditions and inadequate mental healthcare in Ontario prisons.
Soleiman Faqiri was a man with significant mental health conditions killed in provincial custody in 2016. A 2023 inquest found his death was a homicide and made numerous recommendations to prevent future deaths in custody.
In May this year, the CCLA and 35 civil society organizations wrote a letter calling on the Solicitor General to publicly release specific plans to respond to the inquest recommendations and apologize for Soleiman’s death. The Solicitor General has done neither.
Conditions in Ontario prisons, as highlighted by the Ontario Ombudsperson’s 2025 report and the Maplehurst abusive strip search, continue to deteriorate.
We implore the Ontario government to listen to the family members of those who have died, and ensure a prison sentence is not a death sentence.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
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