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Islem Guedrez was 21. The business student made deliveries with his car during his studies. On May 30, the Quebec police discovered his dead body in a forest in Rawdon, more than 60 km from his home. He had disappeared five days ago. For the authorities, everything suggests that it is a suicide. Among those close to him, however, doubt persists.
The pain is intense for the Algerian community, which intends to do everything possible to give meaning to the disturbing disappearance of Islem. In the current climate, his death is rekindling wounds and mistrust. His loved ones and an entire community feel a sense of abandonment.
A mourning that crosses borders
Originally from Jijel, in northeastern Algeria, Islem Guedrez settled in Quebec in 2020 to study at the Collège Supérieur de Montréal. Enrolled in the DEP in secretarial studies, the student, who lived in Saint-Léonard, worked to provide for herself and support her family. From France, where she visits her sister, Aziza Guedrez, Islem's aunt, tells us who her nephew was.
What was Islem doing in Rawdon, 70 km from home, in a city he did not know? Impossible to know. It could be a bad encounter, or even “a racist act, as some say”, reflects Aziza Guedrez without believing it. The family rejects the hypothesis of suicide, supported by the authorities, as they cannot imagine that “such a beautiful boy with such joy of life”, as his aunt describes him, could have ended his life.
“He was a lively young man, he never had any problems, he only had friends,” recalls Ms. Guedrez. “The investigator tried to make me think that some people are suicidal without letting it appear,” says Islem's aunt.
A death that is difficult to accept
Ayoub Ayad, Ali Chalouchel, Oussama Tibigui, Bilal Ayachia and Jessica Juarez Tremblay gathered in a park in Saint-Michel to tell us about their friend. Among them, there is also Karim Merabet, a relative of the Guedrez family, who mobilized the community to find the young man, and Mohamed Mimoun, speaking at the Saint-Michel Youth Forum. The group tells us how the disappearance and death of Islem seem inexplicable to them.
His family believes that there are several indications that he had no intention of ending his life. Islem's phone and some identification documents remain unaccounted for. Just before his death, the young man had planned an appointment with his accountant and had filled up with gas.
“Whoever decides to commit suicide does not think about that,” says Mr. Merabet, remarks supported by all those present. Jessica Juarez Tremblay adds that there is conflicting information about the condition in which her friend was found. Everyone is wondering what could have prompted Islem to walk to the place where their body was found. For these young people, it is impossible to imagine such an end.
“He wanted to have a future, like everyone who immigrates here,” explains Karim Merabet. He was someone who wanted to help his family. He was very polite, very disciplined, and practising. He went to the mosque every day.”
A cultural divide
Relatives of the young man fear that the authorities will not take cultural differences into account in their investigation. Suicide is forbidden by Islam and is therefore quite rare among practitioners. Mohamed Mimoun sees this as a cultural divide. “The police rushed in and understood the scene in a certain way. We don't have the same understanding,” says the speaker.
“We in the community don't believe it was suicide, and we want the investigation to go to the end. In Algeria, we would have immediately thought of a homicide, but here, we immediately go towards the theory of suicide,” believes Karim Merabet. “It's as if it were us, those who knew Islem, against the police, against the police,” adds Jessica Juarez Tremblay.
Troubled circumstances
The coroner, who met with Islem's family, boss and roommates, allegedly said there was nothing to suggest suicide. The hypothesis of homicide was then considered, and then an autopsy confirmed the first hypothesis: Islem's body shows no sign of the intervention of a third party. After being examined by the Sûté du Québec, the young man was repatriated to his country of origin, near his parents. In Algeria, an autopsy was carried out, and the family lawyer initiated the procedure to access the results.
In Quebec, the investigation is still ongoing. It reports to the Sûté du Québec office at the Montcalm Regional County Municipality (MRC) of Montcalm, not far from Rawdon. “Since this is not a criminal event, our intervention is over,” Jean Raphaël Drolet, sergeant and information agent at the SQ, tells us by email Jean Raphaël Drolet, sergeant and information agent at the SQ.
The coroner's report is still pending. “At the end of the investigation, the coroner will prepare a detailed report in which he will present the identity of the deceased, the date and place of death, and the causes and circumstances that led to the death,” said Jake Lamotta Granato, spokesperson for the Coroner's Office. No information can be sent until then. Will the findings of the report answer questions from the deceased's loved ones?
Many doubt that all the elements have been taken into account. Even if they trust the police, the family has several fears. For them, one thing is certain: if the investigation is closed and it concludes that suicide was committed, they will continue the search themselves.
A shared concern
The death of Islem is causing concern in the Algerian community in Montreal. It comes only a few months after the shooting death of Meriem Boundaoui, killed on February 7 in Saint-Léonard in front of a bakery. Like Islem, the young woman had come from Algeria to study in Montreal. The attackers have not been found. “Nothing has advanced for Meriem. Just rumours on the right and on the left,” summarizes the speaker Mohamed Mimoun. “It creates fears among foreign students. I know parents in Algeria who have children here and who said to me: “Momo, what is happening in Canada? Are we targeting our young people?” he continues. Skeptical about the results of the investigation into the young man's death, several members of the Algerian diaspora want to take matters into their own hands.
“There, we start to organize ourselves”, continues the man who calls himself Momo in Saint-Michel. That's because the community has trouble trusting the authorities. “Our perception is that if one of us is a victim of something, we won't be treated like someone here,” he says. This impression is linked to circumstances, which can be exacerbated by precariousness. “They tell themselves that they don't know how the system works, that they can't afford a lawyer, that their family isn't there to support them. As a result, they are afraid,” continues the speaker.
Mr. Mimoun also believes that the police communicated clumsily throughout the investigation. “They don't understand how the death of a member of a community can be a delicate subject for others. Announcing a suicide like that in a hurry, without going into the matter in depth, can upset a lot of people,” he believes. The worker is in contact with Islem's father. The lack of information about the investigation makes things difficult. “Again, it's the police's way of communicating that's at issue... We have the right to know if they are on a trail, for example. We don't have any of that,” he says sorry.
A lack of resources or understanding?
Would the investigations have been conducted differently if Meriem and Islem had been Québecers? Many members of the community are in doubt that the investigation was botched. For them, everything indicates that there is a two-tier system or that the police did not take enough time to question the neighborhood. The Quebec Police says the opposite: “We talked to a large number of people and checked with those who were in contact with Mr. Guedrez during the last days of his life,” we are told.
“Of course we have a lot of work to do, but right now, there is no element to think of anything other than suicide. We would have put in more resources otherwise. It's unfortunate, but there are a lot of them, files that remain misunderstood,” he adds. According to sources close to the police, it is rather a lack of investigative resources that explains the rest of the events after Islem's death. “They always say they don't have the resources, but you have to put them in, because human lives are at stake. You have to be open to all the details that people bring back,” exclaims Karim Merabet.
Take action
At the time of Islem's disappearance, many of them mobilized to hold rallies, circulate disappearance notices and write to anyone who could have known the young man or helped find him. When the student's car was found in Rawdon, a convoy of about twenty people headed for the municipality. After May 30, the day his body was found, they did not stop. The group contacted the media, rallies were organized.
At the call of Karim Merabet, several met with the residents of the city and still want to contribute to the investigation. Between the death of Meriem Boundaoui, the deadly attack on a Muslim family in Ontario and the memory of the Quebec mosque attack — not to mention the State Secularism Act and immigration reforms that largely affect the Maghreb community —, the climate remains anxiety-provoking for Muslims in Quebec.
And Mr. Merabet is already seeing the effects of such a climate on the community, especially on young people. “All this is causing concern. We try to reassure young people, because we are in one of the safest countries in the world, but we must not be naive either,” says the latter.
He believes that there is an urgent need to act and denounces speeches that sow hate, for example, quoting garbage radios in Quebec. “I know several who have left Quebec for other provinces. It's not just that, but this climate is one of the reasons for their departure,” he believes.
A silence that hurts
The lack of media coverage of Islem's story adds to the feeling of injustice felt by those close to him. “A young person disappears under terrible circumstances — a suicide that's a bit unclear — and there are no articles about it! ” laments Aziza Guedrez, the aunt of the missing young man. However, the news has been shared. Reedouane wrote directly to the media as well as to municipal, provincial and federal elected officials. Apart from a few acknowledgements of receipt, he received no response to his open letter.
“I didn't know Islem, but I didn't like the way the case was handled,” he said humbly, emotion in his voice. He wanted us to talk about it and for things to move, to pay tribute to the deceased. While Algerians in Montreal are burying a second young person in six months, the community is more united than ever. Behind the tribute they want to pay to the student, there is also the desire to be recognized as fully-fledged citizens in Quebec. “It doesn't matter if you are Algerian, French or Québecois, you participate in the economy,” says Reedouane bluntly.
Such bereavement affects much more than the student's family. “We thank the community, we receive support every day. His father and the entire city of Jijel, where we live, are extremely grateful to the people who support us in Montreal and Quebec,” insists Aziza Guedrez.
A fundraiser was organized to support the Guedrez family, who remained in Algeria. In just two days, more than $23,000 was raised. “We have to keep promoting this idea. As long as you don't know the truth, it's important to talk about it,” says Islem's aunt.
She hopes that the new fundraising campaign, launched recently, will raise enough money to continue the investigation and to cover the fees of the lawyer and investigator who have been hired.
To go further:
One Fundraising takes place in order to continue the investigation and to cover the lawyer's fees.
You can call 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553) any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if you have suicidal thoughts, need support, or if you are worried about someone close to you.
You can also consult the site How to talk about suicide.com.