Portugal detains 15 officers as Lisbon police torture probe widens
The detentions bring the total number of people charged or arrested in the torture probe to 25, prosecutors said.
- On Tuesday, Portuguese law enforcement officials detained 15 police officers in a widening investigation into alleged torture at two central Lisbon precincts, raising the total number arrested or charged to 25, police and prosecutors said.
- In January, prosecutors charged two officers with torturing vagrants and migrants and sharing images in an online chat, triggering a broader inquiry that led to seven more arrests at the Rato Police Station in March.
- Investigators carried out around 30 searches across two Lisbon police stations, uncovering allegations of "aggravated torture, rape, abuse of power and aggravated assault" targeting vulnerable groups including homeless people, drug users, and undocumented foreigners.
- Amnesty International said the sharing of images in chats showed "an enormous sense of impunity," while police director Luís Carrilho insisted Monday that the institution enforces a "zero-tolerance policy toward cases of misconduct."
- The investigation reportedly involves around 70 officers from various police stations, as the Lisbon Metropolitan Command stressed it reported the facts to the Public Prosecutor's Office to ensure accountability.
20 Articles
20 Articles
In Portugal, fifteen police officers were arrested yesterday in an investigation into the torture of detainees in Lisbon. In January, two other officers were already arrested for torturing people and sharing those images. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the victims were mainly homeless people and illegal migrants who had been arrested for minor offenses, reports the newspaper Diário de Notícias. The main suspect is a 22-year-old man…
An investigation into alleged acts of torture and assault against vulnerable persons is expanding with the arrest of an additional 15 police officers. A total of 24 police officers are now targeted.
Luís Carrilho states that cases such as that of the rat station should not cause the population to lose confidence in the PSP. Still, there are more PSP agents detained in the field of research in the rat station.
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