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RALLY TO DEMAND A PUBLIC INQUIRY AND TO DENOUNCE THE MONTREAL POLICE BROTHERHOOD'S MOTION TO PREVENT A CORONER'S INQUEST

On December 1, 2005, Mohamed Anas Bennis, a 25-year old Canadian of Moroccan origin, was killed by Montreal police officer Yannick Bernier after morning prayers in his neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges. Since then, there has been a veil of secrecy that has clouded the circumstances that led to his death and many of Anas' family's questions remain unanswered.

For almost two years now, the Bennis family, along with the Justice for Anas Coalition, has been demanding a full, public and independent inquiry to finally shed some light on the circumstances leading up to Anas' death.

In June 2008, Quebec's chief coroner, Louise Nolet, finally ordered an inquest into this shooting. The inquest was to be presided over by coroner Catherine Rudel-Tessier, and was supposed to begin on September 29, 2008. Even though it was not a full public inquiry as we have been demanding -- only a conroner's inquest -- it gave some hope of finally shedding some light on this case.

In late August 2008, however, the Montreal Police Brotherhood filed a legal motion against coroner Rudel-Tessier and the Bennis family, to prevent the inquest from taking place, alleging that all of the answers to the family's questions had already been made available. Yet, up until now, the family has not received answers to many of their questions: why has the knife that Anas supposedly used -- according to the police version of the events -- never been produced or undergone forensic evaluation? Why has the video of the scene never been made public? Why have the police officers Bernier and Roy never been cross-examined on their version of the facts as would occur in any criminal investigation in which someone was murdered?

Quebec law stipulates that whenever a police force is involved in a violent incident leading to a murder, another police force is mandated to investigate the matter. This has produced a situation in which the family has had to deal with a non-transparent police investigation and refusals on several levels given that the Crown Prosecutor and the Minister of Public Security have both not provided any useful information – neither to the family nor to the public.

This action by the Police Brotherhood simply adds more questions for the Bennis family, and reveals the Montreal Police Department's bad faith and lack of transparency: if the police have nothing to hide, why are they working so hard to stop a public inquiry from taking place? It is worth noting that this is the same Brotherhood that filed a similar motion to prevent an inquest into the death of Michel Berniquez (killed by a police officer in 2003), and whose president Yves Francoeur has stated that officer Lapointe (who killed Fredy Villanueva this past summer on August 9) "did his job properly."

Join us in denouncing the heinous actions of the police and to demand a public inquiry into the murder of Anas Bennis!



The Justice for Anas Coalition demands:

1. The immediate release of all reports, evidence and information concerning the death of Anas Bennis to the Bennis family and to the public;

2. A full, public and independent inquiry into the death of Anas Bennis;

3. An end to police brutality and impunity.



1. Endorse the campaign's demands (see above)

2. Write letters supporting the campaign's demands to coroner Catherine Rudel-Tessier, with specific emphasis on the importance of a public inquiry. Letters can be sent to:


3. Spread information about the Justice for Anas campaign in your various networks.

4. Get involved in the Justice for Anas Coalition! Contact us if you are interested.

The Justice for Anas Coalition
514.342.2111
justicepouranas@gmail.com