Rabat – Two Italian police officers involved in the killing of Moroccan 43-year-old man Abderrahim Fakir have returned to work, nearly three weeks after the brutal incident.
The officers resumed their duties Monday at the Bolognina-Pontevecchio police station in Bologna. They are currently working inside the station rather than carrying out street patrols, according to Italian media.
The two police officers violently restrained Fakir during the intervention, putting him face down with his hands tied behind his back as he pleaded for help. He later lost consciousness and died.
Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the circumstances of his killing, with the two officers and four Red Cross workers under investigation for possible manslaughter.
The officers’ lawyer, Gabriele Bordoni, said keeping them in internal duties was an appropriate way to allow them to gradually return to work.
“As I expected, they have remained in their role and in their group,” Bordoni said. “Keeping them on internal duties rather than immediately putting them back on patrol is probably an appropriate choice for a gradual return to their work.”
However, the decision represents a slap in the face for Fakir’s family and loved ones, who continue to seek justice and accountability over his killing. Their return to work, even behind a desk rather than on the streets, has added to the family’s pain as they await answers over what happened to Fakir.
Meanwhile, investigators from the Carabinieri’s forensic unit, known as the RIS, have obtained a forensic copy of the bodycam footage recorded by one of the officers. The officer, who was the patrol team leader, had activated the bodycam before the intervention.
The footage was transferred to the RIS laboratory in Rome, where technicians will examine the video and audio recordings.
Bordoni said the video is already of very good quality, but the audio needs to be improved because background noise, including the sound of cicadas, makes it difficult to hear clearly.
