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Barbara Spinelli, a Bologna-based lawyer specializing in asylum law, has slammed right-wing politicians and those who seek to put the blame on Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan man Italian police killed in cold blood on Sunday on the outskirts of Bologna by Italian police.
Spinelli wrote a Facebook post in which she announced that she was in charge of Fakir’s migration file.
The co-president of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights said she had represented Fakir last year in renewing his residence permit.
“Stop putting Fakir on trial—stop asking who he was or what he did. He was a worker. He was kind. He was saddened that he had been forced to lay off some of his employees because business had declined,” the lawyer said.
The lawyer further slammed opposition parties and far-right politicians who have appeared to blame the Moroccan man for his own murder, justifying Fakir’s killing just by claiming that his encounter with the police ended in tragedy because he was allegedly acting “agitatedly.”
“Do we ask a woman who has been raped what she was wearing when she was attacked, or what she did to provoke her rapist? No, so don’t ask who Fakir was. Ask why he died while in the hands of those who had the institutional duty to protect his life, while he was in their custody,” the lawyer lamented.
Fakir’s killing sparked uproar across the world, with Morocco urging a thorough investigation to determine all the circumstances surrounding his killing.
‘Don’t ask who Fakir was’
Six people, including the two police officers and medical workers, are under investigation, while an autopsy has been demanded to confirm the cause of death.
“Ask whether officers are required to receive training in restraint techniques. Ask whether healthcare workers and paramedics also study these procedures and know how to monitor a person’s vital signs while they are being restrained,” the lawyer wrote.
She also slammed accusers and those targeting Arab men in the Pilastro district, where Fakir was killed, urging reforms that can no longer be postponed.
She urged authorities to call for urgent training for police and eliminate all acts that expose people to the risk of positional asphyxia, providing training on the proportional use of force and de-escalation as well as non-discrimination.
She also urged an independent body to investigate police misconduct.
The killing of Fakir sparked protests and clashes among demonstrators and police.
Amid the grief of his family and the anguish or shock of protestors demanding accountability and justice, Italy’s Interior Ministry chose to shift focus from the inquiry into Fakir’s killing to the reasons behind the Bologna protests.
Reports from Italian sources indicated Italy has opened an investigation to establish whether the protest complied with administrative procedures. Amid this investigation, Fakir’s family and supporters have continued to emphasize that the rallies are seeking the truth and not to spread hatred or take revenge
