The letter from Marcos and Leonor to the Portuguese Prime-Minister

Hon. Prime Minister of Portugal
　

With copies to:

Hon. President of the Republic;

Hon. Attorney-General;

Hon. President of the Republic Assembly;

Hon. President of the Bar Association;

Hon. President of Amnesty International Portugal;

Hon. Journalists.

22 October 2011

Honourable Prime Minister of Portugal:


It is with great honour that I forward to you this open letter from my constituent Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano, dated and signed by this Portuguese Citizen on 14 October 2011 (transcribed below, and the original document attached here in PDF format).

Given the content of this public letter, we appeal to Your Excellency also a public response to the issues raised by my constituent.

One can summarize the content of the teleological questions to know the position of the Portuguese Government, given that the proven victims of crimes of torture remain without any compensation or support from the State, in flagrant violation of International Laws to which Portugal is legally bound to, namely the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading articles 11 to 15 inclusively, protected by the United Nations.

That is, we want to know if the commitment of the Portuguese Government in the implementation of international laws and agreements is limited solely to the application of economic austerity measures, or whether, by the contrary, it also covers all the other International Agreements of the Portuguese State, in particular the Protection of Human Rights.


With our best regards,

Marcos Aragão Correia,

Lawyer of Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano.



OPEN LETTER from Leonor Cipriano

Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano

Odemira Prison

Recluse No. 34


Odemira - Portugal



14-October-2011

Hon. Prime Minister of Portugal


I write to you in order that Justice is done in the disappearance of Joana Cipriano my daughter, as I have tried to do since there are already many years and through my Lawyer Dr. Marcos Aragão Correia. In the year 2011, I proved in the Portuguese Courts, without further possibility of appeal, that I was brutally tortured by agents of the Portuguese State, particularly of the Judiciary Police. However, my ex-lawyer João Grade dos Santos, who represented me until August 2008, did not asked for compensation, although I said to him that I wanted to be compensated for the torture that I was victim. Nevertheless, and having finally changed of Lawyer in August 2008, I already could not submit the claim for compensation, because at the time that my current Lawyer Dr. Marcos Aragão Correia took my legal sponsorship and representation, all the legal deadlines for the requirement for compensation were for many months already expired, due to the exclusive fault of Dr. João Grade dos Santos who represented me not according to my will.

Concluded that the process is, in Portugal, about my torture, and once there are two convicted Portuguese Judiciary Police officers to prison sentences (Antonio Cardoso and Gonçalo de Sousa Amaral), I appealed to the United Nations so that Justice could be done in practice since, despite the already proved brutal torture, no practical consequences resulted from the ruling of the Portuguese Courts.

I want to clarify the position of the current Government of Portugal in relation to this matter, and for that I ask you the following:

1 - The Portuguese Government agrees with the use of torture by its agents?

2 - If not, what do you do to prevent this practice?

3 - In relation to the victims of torture, proved in court but without practical effects, as it is my case, what thinks the Government of Portugal to do?

4 - Does the Government of Portugal considers that the Treaties and International Laws against torture should be honoured, since the Portuguese State is also signatory of all them, and if yes, compensated the victims of torture, including, if necessary, by administrative way?

5 - Finally, and most important of all, what is the position of the Government of Portugal in relation to the police investigations on missing children, in which no scientific proof has ever been produced, nor the children were never found alive or dead.


I’ll wait, with despair and in jail, for the answers to the questions I posed to you.


I more inform you the address of my Lawyer, to which all these issues should be clarified in my name:

Marcos Aragão Correia

Calcada do Pico, 35

9000-206 Funchal.

In the absence of your reply as Prime Minister of Portugal, I’ll assume, and will give notice of it to the United Nations, that continues to absolutely prevail in Portugal a total disrespect for the victims of crimes of torture and disappearances of children.


Odemira, 14 October 2011

Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano

.......................................................................................................................

CARTA ABERTA DE LEONOR CIPRIANO

Ao Exmo. Sr. Primeiro-Ministro de Portugal


Com cópias para:

Exmo. Sr. Presidente da República;

Exmo. Sr. Procurador-Geral da República;

Exmo. Sr. Presidente da Assembleia da República;

Exmo. Sr. Bastonário da Ordem dos Advogados;

Exmo. Sr. Presidente da Amnistia Internacional Portugal;

Exmos. Srs. Jornalistas.


22 de Outubro de 2011　

Excelentíssimo Senhor Primeiro-Ministro de Portugal:

É com imensa honra que reencaminho para Vossa Excelência, carta aberta da minha constituinte Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano, datada e assinada por esta Cidadã Portuguesa em 14 de Outubro de 2011 (transcrita mais abaixo, e com o original aqui anexado em formato pdf).

Dado o teor público da respectiva carta, apelamos a Vossa Excelência a também uma resposta pública às questões formuladas pela minha constituinte.

Pode-se resumir o teor teleológico das respectivas perguntas a saber qual a posição, do Governo Português, face às vítimas comprovadas de crimes de tortura que continuam sem qualquer compensação ou apoio por parte do Estado, em violação flagrante das Leis Internacionais a que Portugal está juridicamente vinculado, nomeadamente da Convenção Contra a Tortura e outras Penas ou Tratamentos Cruéis, Desumanos ou Degradantes, artigos nºs 11 a 15 inclusive, protegida pelas Nações Unidas.

Ou seja, pretendemos saber se o empenho do Governo Português na aplicação das Leis e Acordos Internacionais se limita tão-somente à aplicação de medidas de austeridade económica, ou se, pelo contrário, abrange também todos os outros Compromissos Internacionais do Estado Português, nomeadamente no domínio da protecção dos Direitos Humanos.

Com os nossos melhores cumprimentos,

Marcos Aragão Correia,

Advogado de Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano.


CARTA ABERTA DE LEONOR CIPRIANO
　

Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano

Estabelecimento Prisional de Odemira

Reclusa nº 34

Odemira - Portugal

14-Outubro-2011

Exmo. Sr. Primeiro-Ministro de Portugal

Escrevo a Vossa Excelência com o objectivo que se faça Justiça em relação ao desaparecimento da minha filha Joana Cipriano, como tenho tentado fazer desde há já longos anos, e através do meu Advogado Dr. Marcos Aragão Correia. No corrente ano de 2011, consegui provar nos Tribunais Portugueses sem mais possibilidades de recurso, que fui brutalmente torturada por agentes do Estado Português, concretamente da Polícia Judiciária. No entanto, o meu ex-advogado Dr. João Grade dos Santos, que me representou até Agosto de 2008, não requereu pedido de indemnização civil, apesar de eu o ter informado que desejava ser indemnizada pela tortura de que fui vítima. Tendo finalmente mudado de Advogado em Agosto de 2008, não consegui contudo apresentar o respectivo pedido de indemnização, pelo facto de, na altura em que o meu corrente Advogado Dr. Marcos Aragão Correia assumiu o meu patrocínio e representação, todos os prazos legais para o requerimento de indemnização estarem há muitos meses expirados, por culpa exclusiva do Dr. João Grade dos Santos que não me representou de acordo com a minha vontade.

Concluído que está o processo sobre a minha tortura em Portugal, e condenados que estão dois Inspectores da Polícia Judiciária Portuguesa a penas de prisão (António Cardoso e Gonçalo de Sousa Amaral), recorri à Organização das Nações Unidas para que seja feita Justiça na prática, uma vez que, apesar de provada a tortura, nenhumas consequências práticas resultaram de tal decisão judicial.

Desejo esclarecer qual a posição do actual Governo de Portugal em relação a este assunto, e para tal pergunto a Vossa Excelência o seguinte:


1 - O Governo Português concorda com o uso de tortura por parte dos seus agentes?

2 - Em caso negativo, o que faz para evitar tal prática?

3 - Em relação às vítimas de tortura, comprovada em Tribunal mas sem efeitos práticos, como é o meu caso, como pensa agir o Governo de Portugal?

4 - Considera o Governo de Portugal que devem ser honrados os Tratados e Leis Internacionais contra a tortura, de que é signatário o Estado Português, e em caso afirmativo, ressarcidas as vítimas de tortura, nomeadamente, se necessário, por via administrativa?

5 - Finalmente, e mais importante de tudo, qual a posição do Governo de Portugal em relação às investigações policiais sobre crianças desaparecidas, nas quais nenhuma prova científica foi produzida, nem as crianças nunca foram encontradas vivas ou mortas.


Aguardo, com desespero e na cadeia, as respostas às perguntas que fiz a Vossa Excelência.

Mais informo o endereço do meu Advogado, para o qual todos estes assuntos devem ser esclarecidos em meu nome:

Marcos Aragão Correia

Em caso de ausência de resposta de Vossa Excelência enquanto Primeiro-Ministro de Portugal, presumirei, e disso darei conhecimento às Nações Unidas, que continua a imperar em absoluto um total desrespeito de Portugal pelas vítimas de crimes de tortura e de desaparecimentos de crianças.

Odemira, 14 de Outubro de 2011

Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano

Well done Marcos. I pray that you and your client receive positive results.

Yes, well done Marcos, keep up the good work.

lily wrote:Well done Marcos. I pray that you and your client receive positive results.

Wonder how long they'll have to wait for a reply.....

Was it this Grade who went on to be Amarals Lawyer ?

It seems Marcos and Leanor are demanding compensation from the State, since the internal laws, like the ones that establishes that compensation should be judged inside the main criminal procedure and that expiration for asking the compensation is regulated by that same criminal procedure, are inferior laws comparing to the Constitution, and the Constitution gives the same constitutional equivalence to the Human Rights International Laws signed and ratified by Portugal. So, they are asking the government why don’t they do anything to compensate Leonor, now that is proved that she was brutally tortured by Portugal agents. It is the obligation of the government to compensate Leonor because they (the Government through its agents) tortured her, the same way that when they expropriate someone’s land they most pay an adequate compensation.

Catkins wrote:

lily wrote:Well done Marcos. I pray that you and your client receive positive results.

Wonder how long they'll have to wait for a reply.....

Was it this Grade who went on to be Amarals Lawyer ?

Grade was a waste of space Cat, for Leanor and Gonc. He was supposed to have been training Gonc as a lawyer I believe. Good job Gonc was found guilty of lying

Just imagine that as your lawyer

christabel wrote:

Catkins wrote:

lily wrote:Well done Marcos. I pray that you and your client receive positive results.

Wonder how long they'll have to wait for a reply.....

Was it this Grade who went on to be Amarals Lawyer ?

Grade was a waste of space Cat, for Leanor and Gonc. He was supposed to have been training Gonc as a lawyer I believe. Good job Gonc was found guilty of lying

Just imagine that as your lawyer

err no thanks...........

I fear that Leonor will never know what happened to Joanna.

And I find it hard to believe that her conviction has not been overturned due to the torture, and a new trial held. But that would be hard considering the lack of evidence at the trial.

You would think it should have been a re Trial after Ammy and Co were found guilty !