MONTREAL — Quebec's Public Security Department says two investigations have been launched into the death this week of a Montreal inmate from COVID-19.
Marie-Josee Montminy, a department spokeswoman, says the department's internal investigations division is probing the death of the man who had been detained at the Bordeaux provincial jail.
Montminy says the Quebec coroner's office is also investigating.
Rights groups said the detainee, Robert Langevin, died on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19 in jail.
The 72-year-old had filed a complaint with the Quebec ombudsman's office in late March pleading for his release amid fears he would contract the virus.
His death spurred calls from rights groups and other detainees' families for Quebec to release more inmates to stem the spread of COVID-19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2020
The Canadian Press
