Bologna, July 24, 2026 – Abderrahim Fakir was still a ghost to Italian hospital psychiatric services. But from what emerged, in June he ended up in the emergency room. «He wasn’t well and was asking for help, he was trying to get treated», notes Fabio Anselmo, the family’s lawyer. On June 20, shortly after 3 PM, an access to the emergency room was registered: it was Fakir, and the reason stated was ‘Psychiatric – concern for the patient’s well-being’.
Fakir arrived at Maggiore Hospital in Bologna that day by ambulance, after having committed an act of self-harm.
He said he was depressed
From what is understood, in fact, he had wounds on a wrist, which he had probably inflicted on himself.
That day he said he was depressed, asked for help and also asked to speak with a psychiatrist. A few days earlier – on the 12th – the presence of a man wandering in a condominium area had been reported in Castello d’Argile. «He was in a state of confusion but not aggressive – says mayor Alessandro Enriquez –. I spoke to him and offered him help, trying to understand what he was looking for».
He had arrived there by public transport and it seems he was supposed to visit a relative but had gotten off at the wrong stop, thus becoming confused.
He had been identified and reported to the authorities and 118 had been notified, «but he had refused hospitalization», explains the mayor. It does not appear that he had yet been taken in charge by the Mental Health Center. For some time, Fakir was worried – from what is understood – about work, it seems his company was not doing well and, due to various problems, his residence permit renewal had also been denied.
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An appeal of his for international protection was pending.
His niece’s memory: “He was a good person, a worker, a man with values”
Yossa Fakir, the victim’s niece, urges caution and not to slander her uncle, whom she describes as «a worker, a man who with commitment, sacrifices and dedication had built his path, his cooperative and his life. He was a good person, a man with values, with respect and dignity. He was one of those who worked and bothered no one, who helped others without asking for anything in return».
The girl tells his story in a video, filmed «to make you understand who my uncle was and to give a voice to the person he was. In these days – she continues – many things are being said about his private life and about what happened. But today I am not here to argue, I am not here to fuel hatred and I am not interested in politics. I am here to tell who he really was».
That “it is not a story to be filed away, it is not a number, it is not something that can be forgotten tomorrow. It is a life, it is a person, it is a man who left a deep mark on those who were fortunate enough to know him. Today we will not allow him to be remembered only for what happened. We will not allow his name to be sullied”.
Today is the day of the autopsy
Today the autopsy will be performed, entrusted to a team of experts including Cristina Basso, who handled the case of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, and Valentina Bugelli, who handled the case of Chiara Petrolini: among the questions from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (which is investigating for negligent homicide), it is indicated to ascertain what pathologies the victim suffered from and why he was in that state of extreme agitation, completely out of himself, on Sunday morning. The Public Prosecutor’s Office will also seek to verify above all whether there were any negligence on the part of the healthcare workers and excessive violence on the part of the police.
