Sask. Penitentiary placed guards on leave after alleged assault, FSIN says
According to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), four correctional officers were placed on leave after allegedly assaulting an inmate at Saskatchewan Penitentiary.
The FSIN says earlier in November, Kihiw Fourstar was taken to the prison's medical unit due to the alleged assault.
During a news conference in Saskatoon on Thursday, Darla Fourstar needed consoling after talking about the treatment of her son.
“My child wasn't in a safe place. It's a mother's worst nightmare," she said.
“He told me that out of nowhere they rushed into his cell and had beaten him, leaving him with a busted skull,” said Fourstar.
FSIN second vice-chief Dutch Lerat told reporters the organization conducted an investigation and believes the allegations are factual. He acknowledged the leadership at Saskatchewan Penitentiary and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for their transparency and decisive actions.
“We have learned that prior to our involvement, the Saskatchewan Penitentiary leadership had already acted on this incident, initiating an investigation through the RCMP and placing the four guards on administrative leave,” Lerat said.
CTV News has reached out to CSC for comment.
Lerat says the incident reflects greater concerns about the treatment of Indigenous people in correctional centres.
“We have received complaints from inmates that detailed incidents of physical mental and physical abuse, denial of access for equitable treatment surrounding both mental and health issues,” he said.
Fourstar claims her son received more abuse from guards before being transferred to Stony Mountain Correctional Centre.
“Before leaving Sask. Pen, guards violently stripped him, and twisted his arms and legs touching the back of his head,” she said.
She says he’s also been denied medication for mental health issues.
“There's underpinning issues here that we have been lobbying for many decades to address,” said FSIN Executive Director of Justice Jason Stonechild.
“Systemic processes that can be viewed as systemic racism, and over-representation of First Nations people in custody.”
Fourstar says her son has been left feeling depressed and empty.
“It's hard for a mother to hear all this, and I hope that no one ever goes through what Kihiw went through,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.