PSP torture case: seven arrested officers to remain behind bars

Judges at the Lisbon Court of Appeal have upheld the pre-trial detention of seven PSP police officers accused of torturing detainees in two Lisbon police stations, ruling that they pose a risk of continuing their alleged criminal activity if released.

The decision, issued today, confirms detention orders imposed after the officers were arrested in March as part of an investigation into alleged abuse at the Rato and Bairro Alto police stations.

Six of the defendants were assigned to the Rato station and one to Bairro Alto.

In a statement, the court explained that: “The places where the crimes were allegedly committed were police stations, and the defendants are police officers”, added to this apparent overlap is “the particular ethical gravity of the conduct, the inability to exercise restraint, disregard for the duties entrusted to them and the group behaviour demonstrated.”

The court concluded that these factors justified keeping all seven officers in pre-trial detention pending further proceedings.

The judges also said there is “strong evidence” linking the defendants to the alleged crimes, arguing that, based on the evidence gathered so far, it is foreseeable that the officers could face custodial prison sentences if convicted at trial.

The seven PSP officers were arrested in March on suspicion of torturing detainees while in police custody, in a case that has intensified scrutiny of police conduct and accountability in Portugal.

The criminal investigation remains ongoing, and the officers are presumed innocent unless and until convicted by a court.

Source: Diário de Notícias/ LUSA

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.