Rabat – Medical experts in Bologna will conduct an autopsy today on the body of Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan man killed during a violent police intervention on Sunday, July 19.
Italy’s news agency ANSA said medical experts will carry out the autopsy on Fakir’s body at 11 a.m. Moroccan time at Sant’Orsola Hospital.
The public prosecutor’s office ordered the autopsy this morning, according to ANSA.
Six individuals, including the two police officers who pinned Fakir and kneeled him down until suffocation, are under investigation for their involvement in the killing of the Moroccan man.
The brutal intervention came after one resident called the police, reporting a man who was allegedly acting “aggressively.”
Reports said the police struck Fakir with their car before securing his knees, zipping him, with his face down.
While crying for help, the police officers ignored Fakir and continued to kneel him down, causing his suffocation to death. The cause of death is still to be confirmed by the autopsy.
Four paramedics witnessed the killing of Fakir and stood still without intervention amid pleas from the victim.
“Prosecutors have instructed the medical examiners to conduct histological and toxicological tests and to assess whether the resuscitation procedures carried out by the medical personnel were performed correctly. The prosecution has set a 90-day deadline for the completion of the autopsy,” ANSA reported.
Lawyer Gabriele Bordoni, who represents the two police officers involved in Fakir’s killing, said the autopsy will have to clarify the cause of death.
“It will also need to examine everything surrounding the incident, including the actions of the police officers and the medical personnel, as well as this man’s condition before all of this happened,” Bordoni said.
The Italian Police Workers’ Union, also known as SIULP, defended the officers involved in the brutal killing of Fakir, stating that it will provide free legal representation to protect police officers and oppose what it described as “organized violence against law enforcement.”
The union’s branch in Bologna also condemned the protests in support of Fakir, accusing protesters of throwing projectiles and using explosive devices to attack police officers.
