Mário Cruz / Lusa
The prisoner, who was eventually hospitalized, was forced to be only in underwear, without hygiene items and sleeping in a mattress cell. It is already the second similar case in the arrest of Angra do Heroism.
According to reports heard by, a prisoner with psychiatric problems was forced to fulfill punishment only of underwear and slippers in the middle of winter, in a cell without mattress, hygiene articles or suitable clothes. The case, dating back to March 2024, took place in the arrest of Angra do Heroism and is being investigated by the Directorate-General for Reinsertion and Prison Services (DGRSP).
The punishment came after a conflict between two inmates, when the prison director, José Armando Teixeira Coutinho Pereira, ordered the disciplinary confinement in separate cells and ordered the withdrawal of all the recluso belongings In question, including the mattress and hygiene items.
The witnesses reported that the visibly debilitated prisoner crossed the disciplinary corridor to make a telephone call, complaining of the intense cold. The man was eventually transferred to the psychiatric clinic of the prison of Santa Cruz do Bispo in Porto in late April.
This case arises less than a month before another prisoner, also with psychiatric disturbances, hospitalized in serious condition due to hypothermia. In April, this second man was confined only with inner clothes in a cell without mattress, with only two blankets, after setting the mattress on fire.
Despite guard alerts and a nurse, the director refused to arrange more warm clothing. The prisoner was found fallen in the cell with signs of hypothermia and hospitalized at the local hospital. After 16 days of hospitalization, it was transferred to the Psychiatric Clinic of Porto.
The Portuguese Association for the Support of the Reclusation (APAR) denounced the conditions of the prison as “Terceiro-Mundistas“And filed a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Judice, assured that an inquiry was opened and ensured” zero tolerance for inhuman behaviors. “
Amnesty International expressed “deep concern”, classifying practices as UN Mandela Rules Violationswhich determine respect for dignity and prohibition of cruel or inhuman treatments.
Portugal has paid 1.2 million in compensation
The cases in the Azores come at a time when Portugal has been known in the last eight years about 1.2 million euros to compensating prisoners whose human rights were violated.
However, the value may increase significantly, as there is More than 500 new pending complaints at the European Court of Human Rights (TEDH) in Strasbourg. Most complaints involve degrading conditions in chains, including small cells, overcrowding, unhealthiness, restrictions on disproportionate visits and magazines, reports.
An example of the most serious complaints was the case of a Portuguese-Brazilian prisoner sentenced to 25 years in prison, who spent 11 years in Monsanto under conditions that the TEDH considered excessive and unnecessary. The man was confined to the cell almost always, without access to activities, with restricted contacts to the family and other prisoners. In addition, it was subject to humiliating body magazinesas the anal exam after visits from family or lawyer.
In response, the Ministry of Justice claims to be taking steps to improve prison conditions, such as the construction of a new establishment in the Azores and renewal works in more than 30 arrests. More installations for marital visits are also being created and the cells of the cells of cells are adjusted to respect the European parameters.
