Dec
From Unascertained to Homicide: TVO Podcast Follows Coroner’s Inquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s Tragic Death
Written by TVOToronto, Ontario, December 19, 2023 — TVO Media Education Group’s (TVO) Unascertained podcast releases a special episode examining the Ontario coroner’s inquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s tragic death while in custody inside an Ontario prison. Just shy of the seven-year anniversary of Soleiman’s death, his family finally gets answers to what happened in inside his jail cell that day.
In this bonus episode, podcast producer and host Yusuf Zine and co-producer Kevin Young dive deep into the three-week inquest that determined the verdict of homicide. Zine was with Soleiman’s family as the homicide verdict was announced. Now listeners can be witness to that powerful moment in this just released, final episode of Unascertained.
“Unascertained goes beyond the headlines to explore the failures of the system and follows alongside a grieving family searching for answers and accountability,” said John Ferri, VP of Programming and Content at TVO. “With almost six hours of coverage over 10 episodes and with over two years of research, including international case comparisons, this podcast pokes holes in the original verdict helping move the needle of accountability to where we are today.”
By examining key pieces of evidence from the coroner’s inquest – including never-before-seen CCTV footage from inside Central East Correctional Centre, email correspondence, and eyewitness testimony, this final episode answers the pressing questions asked throughout the podcast series: Why was Soleiman never sent to the hospital when he was showing signs of mental and emotional distress? Why wasn’t the Institutional Crisis Intervention Team (ICIT) called to help Soleiman? And what really happened in Soleiman’s cell on December 15, 2016?
“This whole investigation has felt like putting together a complex puzzle – without all of the pieces. With each episode of the series, we were able to slowly piece together what happened to Soleiman Faqiri,” said Yusuf Zine, Unascertained producer, and host. “Finally, with the recent coroner’s inquest and the jury’s verdict of “homicide”, we now have all the final pieces of the puzzle – and a much clearer picture of how he died.”
Listen to Unascertained for a behind the headlines journey into the case of Soleiman Faqiri and his family’s search for justice on TVO.org, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to the bonus episode on YouTube below:
