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People with mental health challenges should not be in correctional facilities.
It seems so simple, but it can be a matter of life and death.
This issue became the focus of Yusuf Faqiri’s advocacy work after his younger brother, Soleiman, was arrested during an episode of schizophrenia and beaten to death by guards in an Ontario correctional facility.
“I think Soleiman’s story is not just an example, but an opportunity for us to support the most vulnerable and transform the correctional centre,” Yusuf said. He shared painful experiences during his presentation to the International Forensic Psychiatry Lecture Series.
“The thing that I take solace in is … to not let the final end of his life be the final chapter of his life. And that his legacy will be that we changed our system, because our system does not have accountability and transparency,” Yusuf said.
Soleiman Faqiri
(Note: Because the presenter, Yusuf Faqiri, spoke about his brother, Soleiman Faqiri, we use their first names for convenience.)
Who Was Soleiman Faqiri?
The Faqiri family came to Canada as refugees from Afghanistan and settled in a Toronto suburb. Yusuf said his brother was the golden boy — he spoke three languages, was a star rugby and football player, and was a straight-A student.
After a serious car accident in his second semester as an engineering student at the University of Waterloo, Soleiman was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Because of the stigma around mental health, Soleiman’s mother, Maryam, gathered the family and said they were going to accept him as he was. “And that was a beautiful moment because in the intervening 11 years — as Soli was diagnosed when he was 19, and he was killed when he was 30 years old — so in those 11 years, my family, through my mom’s leadership and guidance, took care of him every day.”
Yusuf said Soleiman was much more than his mental illness. “He [had] a gifted mind. He actually taught my mom how to read. He was a mentor to my brother, took care of my nephews and nieces, and more than anything, he was … a critical figure in the Faqiri family. And our life has not been the same since that difficult December 15, 2016, day … when we found out … that our Soleiman was gone.”
Soleiman’s Death
Soleiman was taken into custody on December 4, 2016. During the 11 days between his arrest and death, the family drove to Lindsay four times, but were not allowed to see him.
On December 12, Yusuf and his father went to court, asking to have Soleiman transferred to a hospital. The judge agreed. However, there were no beds available, so he remained in custody.
The original coroner’s report found that Soleiman had 50 bruises caused by blunt impact trauma from the six correctional officers involved. His legs and hands were restrained, he was pepper-sprayed twice, he had a spit hood on, and he was forced down onto his stomach.
A few years later, Ontario’s chief pathologist wrote a second report and added more harrowing details. The report directly linked the correctional officers’ actions to Soleiman’s death.
Police Investigations
Police conducted three investigations.
The first was done by the local police. The police did not speak with John Thibault, an eyewitness. No charges were laid.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) conducted the second investigation. They interviewed Mr. Thibault and found him credible. However, they did not lay charges because they did not know which correctional officer gave the fatal blow.
Dr. Michael Pollanen took over the case and did another pathology report, resulting in the third investigation — the second by the OPP. Again, no charges were laid.
Coroner’s Inquest
For seven years, Yusuf and his family met with medical and legal professionals and journalists. Their advocacy highlighted mental health challenges, the lack of transparency in correctional facilities, and poor coordination among the health care, police, and justice systems. It resulted in a coroner’s inquest being called in 2023.
One psychiatrist served the correctional facility’s 1,100 people. However, they were on vacation and never saw Soleiman.
Even though Soleiman was eating his own feces, the general practitioner decided not to transfer him to the hospital because, according to him, Soleiman was not sick enough. There was also a tenuous relationship between the correctional facility and the hospital.
A few days after Soleiman arrived, a correctional officer emailed 60 staff, including deputy superintendents, warning that Soleiman should be sent to hospital. Nothing was done.
The inquest found 60 policy breaches on the day Soleiman died.
In a rare and landmark verdict, the inquest determined Soleiman’s death was a homicide. However, coroners’ inquests can only provide recommendations. They are not legally binding.
The jury made 57 recommendations. The first was that people with mental health challenges should not be in correctional facilities.
More than two and a half years later, the Ontario government has yet to implement any of the recommendations. The OPP has not reopened the case. No charges have been laid. Most correctional officers involved in Soleiman’s death still work for the Ontario government. No one from the correctional facility has reached out to the Faqiri family.
For more of Yusuf’s lecture, watch the recording of the December 4, 2025, lecture, “The Fatal Nexus Between Incarceration and Mental Health: The Tragic Story of Soleiman Faqiri” on our website. More information is available on the Justice for Soli website. You can also watch the documentary My Brother, Soleiman on CBC Gem.
Written by Virginia St-Denis and approved by Yusuf Faqiri.
