The visit focused on the treatment and safeguards afforded to people deprived of their liberty by law enforcement agencies. The delegation reviewed the measures taken by the Portuguese authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Committee to strengthen protection from ill-treatment following observations made during previous visits. It also looked again into the effectiveness of inquiries and investigations into allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials.
To this end, the CPT delegation visited seven detention facilities of the Judicial Police, Public Security Police and National Republican Guard, as well as four prison establishments holding remand prisoners who had recently been detained by law enforcement officers. The delegation also visited the detention premises at the Campus de Justiça, in Lisbon.
In the course of the visit, the delegation held talks with Margarida Blasco, Minister of Internal Administration and Rita Alarcão Júdice, Minister of Justice.
Talks were also held with Telmo Correia, Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Orlando Carvalho, Director General of Reintegration and Prison Services, Luís Neves, Director-General of the Judicial Police, Rui Ribeiro Veloso, General-Commander of the National Republican Guard, Luís Carrilho, National Director of the Public Security Police, as well as senior officials from relevant ministries and services.
The delegation also met Joana Gomes Ferreira, Deputy Prosecutor General, Gonçalo da Cunha Pires, Inspector-General of Justice Services and Pedro Figueiredo, Inspector-General of Internal Administration.
A meeting was also held with Miguel Feldmann, the Coordinator of the National Preventive Mechanism.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Portuguese authorities.
The visit was carried out by Alan Mitchell (President of the CPT and Head of Delegation), Juan Carlos da Silva Ochoa and Eleana Fitidou, CPT members, Laura Ielciu-Erel, CPT Secretariat and Ignazio Patrone, former senior prosecutor, Italy (expert).
The report following this visit is expected to be adopted by the CPT in March 2025 and subsequently communicated to the Portuguese authorities.
The delegation visited the following establishments:
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Administration
Public Security Police (PSP)
- PSP Metropolitan Command Headquarters, Moscavide Avenue, Lisbon
- PSP 2nd Police Station, Rua da Prata 38, Lisbon (Baixa Pombalina)
- PSP 18th Police Station, Rua Afonso Lopes Vieira 2 A, Lisbon (Campo Grande)
- PSP 65th Police Station, Estrada Da Brandoa, Amadora, Lisbon
- PSP 78th Police Station, Rua Adriano José de Oliveira 12, Loures, Lisbon (Camarate)
- PSP Cascais Police Division, Rua Afonso Sanches 26, Cascais
National Republican Guard (GNR)
- GNR Sintra territorial subdivision, Rua João de Deus 6, Sintra
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice
- Lisbon Judicial Police Headquarters, Rua Gomes Freire 174, Lisbon
- Lisbon Judicial Police Prison*
- Lisbon Central Prison*
- Tires Prison*
- Monsanto Prison*
- Campus de Justiça, Court Detention Area (Block B), Alameda dos Oceanos, Lisbon*
*Targeted visits primarily to interview remand prisoners.
