O The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment (CPT) of the Council of Europe today released its annual report, referring to 2023, in which it presents conclusions regarding the visit to Portugal in May and June 2022 and the response of national authorities to the problems highlighted regarding “frequent practices” of physical ill-treatment of detainees by police officers.
According to the CPT report, the visit to Portugal in 2022 revealed that police mistreatment is frequent during the period of detention, including in GNR police stations and posts, and mainly consists of slaps, punches, beatings and kicks after the detainee is already controlled by security agents, also mentioning that the practice of handcuffing detainees to furniture in police stations persists.
The body collected several cases, “corroborated by medical reports of injuries” and requested Portugal for details on the corresponding disciplinary and criminal procedures.
The CPT recognizes that Portugal does not deny the existence of the problem and that the country has taken “some measures” to combat it, but states that “however, the ill-treatment of detainees by police is a resilient phenomenon in Portugal and there is still way forward to create a police culture robust enough to firmly reject and effectively sanction” behavior among police.
For the CPT, the existence of “effective investigations” into allegations of mistreatment “would serve as an important deterrent” for “police officers prone to mistreatment” and points out that the system for investigating alleged abuses “remains dysfunctional” .
“For example, signs of potential police mistreatment detected when a detainee is admitted to a prison are usually recorded, but are often not quickly transmitted to the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, After reporting these cases, no immediate measures are taken to initiate an investigation. Situations like this only serve to reinforce the perception of ‘de facto’ impunity for police mistreatment”, warns the report.
For the organization, the Portuguese authorities should request “an independent review of the current investigation system into allegations of police ill-treatment”, which should “include protocols to ensure that whenever an incident of alleged ill-treatment, or there are injuries that points in this direction, are sent for investigation by the prison system, a member of the investigation team collects statements from the person attacked within 48 hours”.
You must also determine whether a forensic medical examination is necessary and whether further investigative steps are necessary.
The report also highlights the detention conditions in “degrading circumstances” and “rapidly deteriorating” at the Lisbon Prison, noting that Portugal reiterated its intention to close the prison by 2026.
Regarding the psychiatric clinic at the Santa Cruz do Bispo Prison, the CPT reiterates that finding alternative facilities or building new ones is a priority, as the current ones do not provide an adequate environment for the treatment of psychiatric patients.
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