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Last night, we showed you the arraignment of Woman Police Constable Michelle Brown for the murder of Fareed Ahmad, the well-known barber from Hattieville.

 

While his family views that as a positive development in the resolution of the case, they have made several demands that they hope that the leaders of the country will listen to. First, they want an independent investigation because they believe that, in the interest of transparency, the department shouldn’t be investigating their own. Next, they are seeking some sort of police security at this time because they say that they’ve been receiving threats.

 

And on the public front, they are keeping up the pressure on the police and the Government, and this evening, they held their second candle-light vigil for Fareed’s death. We spoke to his brother Abdul Ahmad about the purpose for the vigil.:

 

Abdul Ahmad - Brother of Fareed Ahmad

"In regards to the vigil there will be members of the family and other guests of the family that will speak on Fareeds behalf. Those who happened to know Fareed. They are many people that are here. I'm not fully sure of the number itself. It is a vigil in the memory of Fareed but it is not just confined to this specific case. Other members or other victims’ families also happen to be in the affected by similar situations which Fareed was involved in. In regards to their stories, I believe it needs to be told and eventually, hopefully, something good comes out of all of this."

 

But while they march for justice for their brother - the family says they remain under serious threat.  Abdul Ahmad says two cars tried to box him in today.  And he says the family has received text threats:

 

Abdul Ahmad

"We are in fear of our lives at this point. I mean in regards to the details of the text messages I reported on that the families and the authorities now have in their possession. The details of those messages are very disturbing whereby members of my family, my families name were called whereby inside those messages indicated members of my family that are next on the hit list."

 

"What I am going through I have no words to describe it because I have never been through something like this before. To be honest with you I have never felt something like this before. I hope no other family has to go through this. It is not fair. We are being patient and we are asking for help."

 

The vigil started at 6:00 at the corner of Amara and King Street where Abdul Ahmad had his barber shop and when we left a short while ago - the family was giving speeches in front of Fareed’s barber shop on Euphrates. We counted 150 participants.