Portugal promises to act on negative Amnesty report

jackf wrote:http://www.theportugalnews.com/

Portugal promises to act on negative Amnesty report
5/6/2010

Justice Minister Alberto Martins has promised to “relentlessly fight all forms of torture and degrading treatment” that might occur in Portugal, responding to an Amnesty International (AI) report that noted instances of police brutality in the country.

In the Portugal section of its 2010 Human Rights Report, AI claims that criminal investigations of torture allegations by police forces were slow and there was “evidence of impunity”.

Alberto Martins noted that “none of the thousands of investigations by the Polícia Judiciária [criminal investigation police] were criticised by AI”, and added that Portugal “has a policy (…) to relentlessly fight all forms of torture”.

The Amnesty report was harshly criticised by ASFIC, a police union, whose president, Carlos Garcia, thinks AI “insists on reporting cases where [the officers charged] were tried and cleared of all charges”.

“I don’t know how they [AI] make those reports and how they reach those conclusions. I think they just go with what’s being said and persist in reporting mistakes that have already been publicly corrected”, Garcia told Lusa News Agency. TPN/Lusa

Edition: 1064

Rosiepops wrote:

jackf wrote:http://www.theportugalnews.com/

Portugal promises to act on negative Amnesty report
5/6/2010

Justice Minister Alberto Martins has promised to “relentlessly fight all forms of torture and degrading treatment” that might occur in Portugal, responding to an Amnesty International (AI) report that noted instances of police brutality in the country.

In the Portugal section of its 2010 Human Rights Report, AI claims that criminal investigations of torture allegations by police forces were slow and there was “evidence of impunity”.

Alberto Martins noted that “none of the thousands of investigations by the Polícia Judiciária [criminal investigation police] were criticised by AI”, and added that Portugal “has a policy (…) to relentlessly fight all forms of torture”.

The Amnesty report was harshly criticised by ASFIC, a police union, whose president, Carlos Garcia, thinks AI “insists on reporting cases where [the officers charged] were tried and cleared of all charges”.

“I don’t know how they [AI] make those reports and how they reach those conclusions. I think they just go with what’s being said and persist in reporting mistakes that have already been publicly corrected”, Garcia told Lusa News Agency. TPN/Lusa

Edition: 1064

Very interesting, all talk and no actions! Is this why the Portuguese judge in Portugal disallowed Leonor Cipriano's appeal, DESPITE THE FACT, that torture in her case has actually been PROVEN in the portuguese court and one former chief inspector detective coordinator, Goncalo Amaral, was actually convicted (under appeal) of his part in events before and after the proven torture of Leonor Cipriano? Goncalo Amaral has still to serve his 18 month prison sentence which was suspended.

Depsite torture been proven and meted out by "elusive" members of the PJ who the court chooses to allow to remain nameless, Leonor Cipriano is still languishing in a jail serving a 16 year prison sentence, committed there to serving a prison sentence on the back of a *PROVEN* completely UNSAFE trial!

It is quite simple, how can a woman be tortured into confessing something, the court accept that she was tortured, yet allows a conviction gained on that same tortuous confession to stand?

Once that conviction was gained against Amaral and it was proven in court that Leonor was horrifically injured and beaten while being questioned, Leonor Cipriano should have been released from prison immediately, or at the very least granted a re trial.

What price justice in Portugal? Is there any justice in Portugal?

So very fine words Mr Justice Minister Alberto Martins, but let us know when you convert them to deeds and Leonor Cipriano is released from jail where she is being held illegally and against her will, for something which with each passing day it becomes clearer and clearer the poor woman did NOT do!

Or is Portugal waiting to be dragged through the European Court of Human Rights and all the shame that this will inflict upon Portugal AND her tourist industry?

With the current economical climate in Europe and especially in Portugal, I would have thought that this kind of negative publicity would have been something that Portugal could have definitely done without, especially when also with each passing day the fall out from the way Portugal allowed Goncalo Amaral (one and the same) to persecute, libel, defame and hound an innocent couple (Kate and Gerry McCann) who also had their daughter abducted.

Portugal needs to look very carefully at what it is allowing Goncalo Amaral to do!

It really is past time that Goncalo Amaral was arrested and made to stand trial for crimes against totally innocent and vulnerable people! The FULL extent of his involvement and WHY needs to be investigated with the utmost urgency and te reasons established and if he is found guilty he must face trial!

That is called justice, Mr Justice Minister Alberto Martins.

Oh and one last thing while I think of it, while all this is happening perhaps someone could ask Mr Amaral, who took Madeleine McCann and Joana Cipriano and exactly where to?