“The physical evidence in this case tells the story of torture, abuse and suffering.”
That's the assertion of the lawyer representing the family of Raheel Siddiqui, a 20-year-old from Taylor who died while attending boot camp in South Carolina in March of 2016. According to the Marines, Siddiqui committed suicide by jumping 40 feet down a stairwell.
His family is disputing those findings and now, his drill sergeant at Parris Island is facing charges.
Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Felix will face a general court martial on several counts related to Siddiqui's death.
"Raheel died on American soil in boot camp. This wasn't on the battlefield. This was at home. And that's what's most concerning here."
Shiraz Kahn, the Siddiqui family's lawyer and spokesperson, joined Stateside to talk about the case and why he doesn't see this as a "Muslim issue." Kahn says this is rather an "American issue."
"Raheel died on American soil in boot camp,” Kahn said. “This wasn’t on the battlefield. This was at home. And that’s what’s most concerning here. We need to know that our recruits are treated fairly and at this point, the family doesn’t feel that that was the case."
Kahn said there are several questions that still need to be answered in this case.
"The U.S. [Marine Corps] command and investigation [into] itself listed violations by multiple individuals on multiple levels of command," Kahn said. "And so why now are the charges being centered around one person? Where are the charges against those other folks involved? Why are we not seeing that now?"
Rep. Debbie Dingell?, D-Dearborn, has also been following this case closely.
"I think it’s very important that everybody that was involved with this be held accountable for what happened,” Dingell said. “The most difficult thing is that no matter what we do, we can never bring this young son back to his mother."
Listen to the full interview above.
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