The National Republic Guard guarantees that, in the GNR, there is no behavior that disrespects human rights. This morning, to the Lusa news agency, Lieutenant General Rui Veloso states that, if “very serious cases” resulting from Operation “Safra Justa” are proven, the soldiers involved “will have to be exemplarily condemned”.
The general commander of the GNR refuses that there is racism in the corporation, considering that in the Republican National Guard “there is no place for behavior that goes against human rights” and that “very serious cases” of deviant behavior are occasional.
“These are very serious situations. In the Guard we are fully aware and, I think all soldiers know, that there is no place for behavior that goes against human rights. In the Guard, human rights are not options, they are absolute rights”, said Lieutenant General Rui Veloso in an interview with the Lusa agency.
In his first interview since taking office, in September 2023, the general commander of the GNR maintained that the military “has to respect human rights” and those who do not respect them “have no place” in the GNR and will have to leave”.
“There is no racism in the Guard”
“I don’t think there is any doubt for anyone”, he stressed, adding that “there is no racism in the Guard”, otherwise the GNR would have to act in a different way. Clarifying that the GNR has a force of 24 thousand soldiers, he stated that the cases that have been made public are specific cases.
“In that specific situation, it has to be investigated, giving people the presumption of innocence, because until the final judgment people are innocent, but if it is approved, they will have to be condemned and exemplarily condemned and removed from the Guard”, he said.
Rui Veloso was referring to the “Safra Justa” operation, in which 10 GNR soldiers, currently suspended from duty, are suspected of involvement in an alleged scheme to aid illegal immigration in the Alentejo.
Another of the most notable cases involving elements of the GNR was also in Alentejo, in which two soldiers were convicted of attacking immigrants from Southeast Asia and filming these episodes in Vila Nova de Milfontes, with another five being tried for various crimes, but having their sentences suspended.
Asked if internal control increased after these episodes, the commander-general replied: “Whenever we detect something negative, we have an obligation to be more attentive. I think that, at all levels, this attention ends up being redoubled.”
Rui Veloso highlighted that we have to “learn from mistakes, from what happened and from the negative side to improve in the future”, stressing that “the entire chain of command is more attentive”.
